Cara Partners to invest €130 million in Cork site
Cara Partners, a member of the Schwabe Group, has announced a €130 million modernisation and expansion of its Little Island Facility in Cork. This multi-million-euro investment is expected to create 60 new highly skilled roles over the next four years.
Headquartered in Karlsruhe, Germany, the Schwabe Group – a global leader in natural health solutions such as plant-based medicines – established Cara Partners in Little Island Cork in 1978.
The expansion will result in the development of processes to produce 15 additional API products at the Little Island facility. In addition, there will be significant investment in modernising and increasing the volume of the production of the existing EGb 761 API product.
Cara Partners produces the APIs under guidance of the headquarters in Karlsruhe. This project is supported by the Irish Government through IDA Ireland.
Minister for Enterprise Trade & Employment Peter Burke TD said: “I am very pleased to hear the announcement by Cara Partners of this significant expansion investment which I am sure will be successful. Along with the creation of 60 new highly skilled roles, it further affirms Ireland as a leading choice for the pharmaceutical industry. Regional investments such as this are most welcome and remain a priority for both Government and IDA Ireland.”
Dr. Frank Waimer, Chief Operations Officer Schwabe Group commented: “Cara Partners has been part of the Schwabe Group for over 40 years and is an expert in the extraction of API from natural herbal material, following this investment Cara Partners will be the global centre of excellence within the Schwabe Group and worldwide.”
Stephen Kenny, Cara Partners General Manager, added: “This investment in Cara Partners will secure the future of the site for the next decades and will provide great job opportunities for the people of Cork and nationally. From the inception Schwabe a family owned and run business working with Cara Partners have developed an excellent culture in Cork, both in terms of the technical ability of the staff and a very innovative fulfilling environment. We in Cara Partners look forward to implementing this exciting group strategic investment plan over the coming years.”
Mary Buckley, Executive Director, IDA Ireland, said: “Since 1978, Cara partners have had a strong presence in Cork. This announcement of a €130 million expansion and 60 high quality jobs is very welcome news and exemplifies IDA Ireland’s continued commitment to winning jobs and investment for every region in Ireland. I wish Cara Partners and the Schwabe Group continued global success.”
Cara Partners will shortly begin recruitment across the areas of management, production and IT. To explore employment opportunities, e-mail info@carapartners.ie.
