Manufacturing & Supply Chain

Bausch + Lomb has announced that Taoiseach Leo Varadkar and Tánaiste Frances Fitzgerald, Minister for Business, Enterprise and Innovation have officially opened a €85 million extension at the company’s Waterford facility to help meet the consumer demand of its contact lens portfolio.

Valeant Pharmaceuticals International, the parent company of Bausch + Lomb, has invested more than €200 million in the Waterford facility’s operations, infrastructure and manufacturing line growth. The investment, supported by the Department of Business, Enterprise and Innovation through IDA Ireland, has created 125 additional jobs, bringing the total to 300 since the Waterford facility expansion first began in 2015.

As a result of the expansion, approximately 112,000 sq. ft. of new building has been added to a 17-acre site adjacent to its current facility. This brings the total footprint of the complex to 500,000 sq. ft.

The investment further strengthens the Waterford plant’s position in supporting the company’s global efforts in increasing market share in the daily disposable contact lens market. The company currently employs 1,300 people at its Waterford facility.

The Biotrue ONEday family of contact lens products was developed by the R&D team based in Waterford, and the site is the sole manufacturer of Biotrue ONEday contact lenses globally. In addition, the vast majority of the materials used in the manufacturing and distribution process in the facility for the lenses are recyclable and/or sustainable.

Taoiseach Leo Varadkar congratulated Bausch + Lomb, saying: “This major investment by Bausch + Lomb, adding an extra 125 jobs, is a big vote of confidence in this Government’s ambitions for Waterford and for the future. Bausch + Lomb and its parent company Valeant are to be commended for their commitment to the southeast region. This government is determined to show over the next few months and years that we can not only continue to stimulate growth, but that we are able to spread the benefit across the entire country.”

Tánaiste and Minster for Business, Enterprise and Innovation Frances Fitzgerald TD said: “I warmly welcome the additional investment and job creation by Bausch + Lomb, which moves the company’s operations in Waterford into an exciting new phase. This company has been a huge employer in the city for several decades and their latest investment highlights their ongoing commitment. Being in a regional location gives  this project added significance and dovetails with the  Government’s  work in strengthening the industrial base and job creation in regional centres, in order  to achieve balanced economic growth. Having a project of this magnitude, in a high tech and high skilled sector,  is a terrific boost for the southeast.”

Joseph C. Papa, chairman and chief executive officer of Valeant Pharmaceuticals International Inc, said: “Bausch + Lomb is one of the world’s most respected eye health brands, due in large part to the quality products that have been manufactured at the Waterford site for the past 37 years. With this extension at the Waterford site, we are not only building on that legacy, but also investing for our future. The enhancements to the site will enable us to meet increasing global customer demand for the Bausch + Lomb Biotrue ONEday contact lens brand, which was developed by our R&D team here at Waterford.”