Hollister Incorporated, a specialty medical products company, is to invest €80 million at their facility in Ballina, Co. Mayo. The investment is supported by the Department of Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation through IDA Ireland. This investment by Hollister Incorporated will build upon their existing continence care portfolio of intermittent catheter products and services including their next generation hydrophilic catheters. Hollister Incorporated is one of the largest employers in Ballina and has contributed more than €60 million to the Irish economy in 2013. Their plant in Ballina is located on approximately 40 acres. In the past seven years, significant investments have been made in the Ballina plant, both in infrastructure and equipment. During that period, a number of additional functions have been added to the original manufacturing process including research and technology development, new product development, corporate project engineering and technical services. The Ballina operation also co-ordinates the inventory, distribution and sales invoicing for Hollister throughout Europe and the EMEA region. Hollister Ireland was established in Ballina in 1976. The company is a wholly owned subsidiary of Hollister Incorporated and currently employs over 500 people in both new product development and manufacturing. “Our continued investment in Ballina provides a great opportunity for Hollister Incorporated to continue our Mission to make life more rewarding and dignified for those who use our products and services. The support of the Irish government and the IDA is greatly appreciated,” said Bob Crowe, senior vice president – global operations and information technology, Hollister Incorporated. IDA CEO Barry O’Leary said, “The announcement today from Hollister Incorporated is of key importance to Ireland’s medical technologies sector and contributes substantially to Ireland’s export economy. Hollister is part of a strong cluster of life sciences companies in the West region, which is hugely important to the local economy.” Hollister Incorporated is an independently owned company that develops, manufactures and markets healthcare products worldwide. The company manufactures products for ostomy care, continence care, critical care and wound care, and they develop educational support materials as well.