US biotech firm Meissner to bring jobs boost with move to IDA building

US-BASED biomedical technology company Meissner is set to be announced as the main tenant of the IDA’s advanced technology building in Castlebar, the Sunday Independent understands.

The company provides single-use filtration systems used across the pharmaceutical, bioprocessing, biologicals, microelectronics, food and beverage, industrial, and chemical industries.

Meissner will occupy the building that was opened by rural affairs minister Michael Ring last February. The state-of-the-art 2,966 sq m facility was built as part of the IDA’s €150m five-year investment programme in regional properties.

The decision to build the facility was taken by the Government during local TD Enda Kenny’s time as Taoiseach.

While no figure has been used on the number of jobs that Meissner will bring to the region, it is understood that the facility could house as many as 150 workers.

A spokeswoman for the IDA said that she was unable to confirm or deny that Meissner would become the new tenants of the building, while Meissner itself did not respond to a request for comment.

Co Mayo is already home to a number of life science companies including Allergan, Hollister, and Baxter.

The announcement will come as a major win for the IDA which has introduced a number of measures to encourage jobs growth outside of the capital.

However, last week the development agency warned that employment growth from foreign direct investment was likely to slow in the coming years.

Chief executive Martin Shanahan said that increasing protectionism and nationalism was “likely to have an impact on future FDI figures”.

Employment growth at multinationals was higher in 2018 than 2017, despite a range of geopolitical concerns from Brexit to the US-China trade dispute. A record number of almost 230,000 are now employed by IDA client companies here.