Thursday, 16th December 2010, Galway – Minister for Enterprise, Trade and Innovation Batt O’Keeffe TD today announced that Goodman Medical Ireland Ltd. is to create up to 115 new jobs over 5 years and invest €1.1m at its facility in Mervue Business Park, Galway.  Recruitment is already underway.  This investment is supported by IDA Ireland.

Goodman Co., Ltd., founded in 1975 and headquartered in Nagoya, Japan manufactures and sells medical instruments and equipment worldwide.  Goodman Medical Ireland Ltd. (GMIL) was established in 2004 and currently employs 56 people in the manufacture of cardiology products such as PTCA catheters and bare metal stents.

The expansion will transform GMIL’s business by adding to its manufacturing and R&D operations and becoming Goodman’s sales and marketing centre for EMEA by generating market data, developing territory sales strategies and managing distributors and sales related activities.  The company will also commercialise the ‘Vival’ stent developed onsite in Galway.

Minister O’Keeffe said the investment “strengthens Ireland’s well-established medical devices cluster, with many leading firms based along the western seaboard. The Galway operation will be a platform for Goodman Medical Ireland to develop its business in the EMEA region, driving better manufacturing and product innovation output through the skills of a flexible and highly educated local workforce”.

“The jobs bolster Ireland’s high-end manufacturing backbone and consolidate our reputation as a leading location in Europe for foreign direct investments,” said Minister O’Keeffe.

President Takehito Yogo of Goodman Co., Ltd. said “We are excited to announce our expansion plans to meet anticipated long-term demand for our products worldwide.  We chose the Galway operation for our future growth and development due to our dedicated and proactive workforce, the support of IDA Ireland, our strong supplier network and the positive experiences we have had of doing business in Ireland since 2004.”

IDA Ireland CEO, Barry O’Leary said “Goodman Co. Ltd’s decision to locate this operation in Ireland demonstrates our attractiveness for companies investing and expanding in the Life Sciences Sector. Ireland’s reputation as a hub for Life Sciences continues to grow with 8 of the top 10 pharmaceutical and 15 of the top 20 medical devices companies worldwide with operations here.” 

“IDA’s strategy, Horizon 2020, sets out to achieve balanced regional development, and today’s announcement for Galway builds on the strong medical device cluster in the West of Ireland” concluded Mr. O’Leary.

Notes to Editor
Goodman Co. Ltd., founded in 1975 and headquartered in Nagoya, Aichi, Japan, is primarily engaged in the import, development, manufacture and sale of medical instruments and equipment. The company operates two business divisions. The Disposable Medical Instrument division develops, manufactures and sells catheters and stents for the treatment of cardiovascular disease. The Medical Equipment and Others division is involved in the import and sale of medical testing equipment for circulatory organs and network system software for digital imaging equipment.