Economic Development in the Midlands to be transformed - Tánaiste Massive Investment respresents largest ever jobs boost for region $100 million investment to bring 1300 jobs to the Midlands - Harney Cardinal Health from Dublin, Ohio, USA, to build a strategic European Manufacturing and Technology Centre in Ireland Unique mix of jobs will attract wide range of skills

The massive investment of more than $100 million will see the establishment of a European manufacturing and information technology centre on a proposed site close to Longford town and will involve the construction of custom-built offices and buildings totalling more than 400,000 square feet.

The Tánaiste said; "Cardinal Health is one of the leading providers of healthcare products and services for the healthcare industry worldwide. This investment, which is the most significant ever negotiated in the Region, will have a major impact on the economic development of the Midlands.

"It marks a further success in the Government’s strategic policy to attract a greater level of new projects and jobs to the Objective One regions and follows closely on the recently announced £50 million Teradyne investment for Cavan which is creating 740 new jobs", she said.

The Tánaiste was speaking at a reception in Longford, where she was accompanied by George L. Fotiades, Cardinal Health’s President and Chief Operating Officer, Pharmaceutical Technologies and Services, and Sean Dorgan, Chief Executive of IDA Ireland to announce the project.

Cardinal Health’s new facility will involve a state of the art centre that will incorporate a range of high quality pharmaceutical manufacturing and related technology services which will be strategically important to Cardinal’s European and global business.

Planning permission for the new Cardinal Health facility will be sought in 2001 and construction will begin soon after the planning process is completed. From the employment point of view the first impact will be in the construction sector and the company’s own recruitment will build up over the next five years.

The Tánaiste added, "This is a particularly important investment in terms of the unique mix of jobs that it will offer people in the Midlands region. There will be a wide range of different jobs suitable for people with both second and third level qualifications, encompassing skills and experience in sectors such as information technology, pharmaceutical manufacturing, engineering and quality control. Positions at all levels from administration through technical operations and supervisory functions, to senior management will also be available.

"I understand that Cardinal Health’s decision to locate in Longford was influenced greatly by its need to attract the numbers of skilled staff it requires, the availability of a suitable site and the need to be close to its European markets. It is a result of the intensive focus and commitment by the Government working through IDA Ireland and in liaison with Longford County Council and its County Manager and with the Inter-Agency Group, which I set up in 1998 to bring more new industries to Longford", the Tánaiste said

"Cardinal Health’s Longford campus will be strategically very important to our business", said George L. Fotiades, Cardinal Health’s President and Chief Operating Officer, Pharmaceutical Technologies and Services. "It will bring Cardinal closer to our European customers and it will provide the capacity required to meet growth in demand for our services. We believe that Longford is an ideal location for us. It has access to high quality and improving road and telecommunications infrastructures, it is within reasonable distance of port and airport facilities and it has all the benefits of being outside a major urban centre".

Cardinal Health, Inc. (http://www.cardinal.com) is a leading provider of products and services supporting the healthcare industry. Cardinal Health companies develop, manufacture, package and market products for patient care; develop drug-delivery technologies; distribute pharmaceuticals, medical-surgical and laboratory supplies; and offers consulting and other services that improve quality and efficiency in health care. The company employs more than 40,000 people on five continents and produces annual revenues approaching $30 billion.