Harmac Medical Products has announced a new investment in its facility at Castlerea in Co Roscommon, as it speeds up the manufacturing of surgical masks and non-invasive ventilation products.
The investment will create 60 new jobs at the Castlerea plant, which already employs over 300 people.
The new jobs are in the areas of engineering, quality and manufacturing.
Harmac has been in Castlerea since 1998 and the expansion announced today will allow it to manufacture substantial volumes of surgical masks for its client, which has international and domestic customers.
The company also said it will also ramp up its manufacturing of non-invasive ventilation devices, increasing its output to meet unprecedented rising global demand.
The investment is supported by IDA Ireland.
Martin Shanahan, the chief executive of IDA Ireland, congratulated Harmac on their capability to swiftly respond to the exponential demand for surgical masks and non-invasive ventilation products following the global outbreak of Covid-19.
"Since 1998, Harmac has been a committed employer in the West region and can be assured of IDA Ireland's continued support," he added.
"All of us at Harmac are very proud of what we’ve accomplished during this challenging year by onboarding and supporting these new customers and their products in record time," the company's President and chief executive John F Somers said.
"We take great satisfaction in knowing that our employees are protected by masks made by our team members - and that our team members are helping people around the world by manufacturing products that will help keep Covid-19 patients alive," he added.
Leo Varakdar, the Tánaiste and Minister for Enterprise Trade and Employment, said the 60 new jobs will greatly accelerate the company's response to the pandemic, significantly increasing production of masks and ventilation products.
