70 new jobs in Carrigtwohill as AbbVie invests €60m in Cork site 

70 new jobs are to be created in Carrigtwohill, as biopharmaceutical company AbbVie has announced a €60m investment in its manufacturing site in Cork.

The 70 new roles will be spread across various areas including sterile manufacturing, quality control, and engineering, and will add to the 2,600 people employed by AbbVie nationwide across seven locations.

The Carrigtwohill plant celebrates its 20th anniversary in November, and currently employs approximately 150 people.

As well as creating 70 new jobs in Cork, the expansion includes the development of a new state-of-the-art facility, will introduce new technologies to the Carrigtwohill site to support AbbVie’s aesthetics business, and will allow the company to improve the carbon footprint of the Cork site.

Construction will commence in 2023 with manufacturing operations scheduled to begin in 2025.

Tánaiste and Minister for Enterprise, Trade and Employment, Leo Varadkar, welcomed the multi-million investment as “a fantastic opportunity for Cork”.

“It is great news to see a Cork plant that is already celebrating its 20th anniversary further enhance its capability and potential within the AbbVie Irish and global network through the imminent addition of new technologies and skills,” he said.

The €60 million announcement brings AbbVie’s total investment at the location since the company’s inception in 2013 to approximately €177 million.

Malcolm Garde, Site Director at AbbVie Cork, said that the latest investment is “a fantastic opportunity for the Cork site and a recognition of the expertise and commitment of our dedicated employees over the past 20 years”.

“The expansion and associated cutting-edge technologies will help us to further develop our employees and attract new skilled talent,” he said.

The company has also announced it is embarking on a three-year strategic training programme at the Carrigtwohill facility, supported by the government through the IDA.

The training programme will “enhance and develop key workforce skills to support incoming new technologies”.

IDA Ireland CEO Martin Shanahan said that IDA Ireland is delighted to partner with AbbVie to create opportunities for new employees “who will help write the next chapter in its story”.

“This latest investment by AbbVie is testament to Ireland being an attractive and supportive location for continued investment by established companies. Marking two decades of successful operations at its manufacturing site in Carrigtwohill by making a further €60 million investment, creating 70 additional jobs, is a strong endorsement and demonstrates a clear commitment to the company’s Cork site,” he said.

Conor Healy, CEO of Cork Chamber, said the investment is “another boost for the booming life sciences sector in Cork”. However, he called on the government to reverse the decision not to fund the N25 Carrigtwohill to Midleton multi-modal route “given the level of investment flowing into the area”.

“To continue to attract and accommodate investment into our region, sustainable transport and infrastructure must be provided… The acceleration of delivery of new suburban rail stations and cycle ways is necessary to ensure continued support for current and future growth in East Cork,” he said.