West Pharmaceutical Services, the global company involved in innovative solutions for injectable drug administration, has opened its new Waterford facility, a global centre for West’s advanced manufacturing network, and the unveiling of its product line — Westar® Select.
The new, 20,500-sq-m facility, situated on a 44-acre campus, will produce West’s proprietary elastomeric laminate sheeting, which is used to package insulin for use in pen injectors.
Additionally, it will offer high-value finishing for components, including stoppers and plungers, produced at other West facilities around the world. These services, designed to mitigate the risk of potential contamination and compatibility issues with packaging components, include pharmaceutical washing (Westar® RS components), Envision® verification, steam sterilisation (Westar® RU components), and flexible packaging offerings.
Currently employs about 100 people, with plans for additional hiring
West’s Waterford facility currently employs about 100 people in both local and global functions, with plans for additional hiring. Commercial production in Waterford is expected this year.
West also has a manufacturing and development centre in Dublin that provides design, development and manufacturing services for pharmaceutical and medical technology customers. The Dublin site recently completed an expansion to accommodate new customer programmes and employs about 600 people.
“West is very pleased to celebrate the official opening of our state-of-the-art facility in Waterford, as well as the launch of Westar Select, both of which are the culmination of efforts by many to support our company’s commitment to meeting the dynamic needs of our pharmaceutical and biotech partners,” said Eric Green, president and CEO, West.
“Our investment in Waterford, in addition to our previously announced investments in Kinston, North Carolina, Jurong, Singapore, and Dublin enable West to provide the highest levels of quality across the products and services we provide for the global customer base we serve.”
Manufacturing of pharmaceutical packaging and medical devices
Minister of State Mary Mitchell O’Connor TD said: “I am delighted to be here to celebrate the opening of West’s new global manufacturing centre. The company’s work is internationally recognised for its excellence in the manufacturing of pharmaceutical packaging and medical devices."
Mary Buckley, executive director at IDA Ireland, said: “I welcome this investment by West Pharmaceutical Services, which will significantly bolster the life sciences cluster in the southeast. Manufacturing excellence in biopharmaceuticals is a hallmark of Ireland's success in the sector and is one of the primary reasons as to why Ireland is home to 10 of the top 10 global pharmaceutical companies."
For more information on West and current job openings in the region, please visit
http://www.westpharma.com/careers.