Ireland's DPS sets out on European charge
providing services to the pharmaceutical sector says it is planning
to create 250 jobs over the next five years as it continues a major
growth phase in its business in mainland Europe.
An Irish engineering firm which specialises in providing services to the pharmaceutical sector says it is planning to create 250 jobs over the next five years as it continues a major growth phase in its business in mainland Europe.
Dedicated Pharmaceutical Specialists (DPS) Engineering has grown from just 25 employees in 1996 to more than 260 at present, and has an annual turnover of €20 million.
The jobs announcement was made at a weekend function to mark the opening of the company's new Cork offices by Pat Cox, President of the European Parliament, according to a report on Ireland.com.
DPS says its expertise lies in bilk and secondary pharmaceutical manufacture, as well as biotechnology, and it counts Schering-Plough, Roche, Novartis, Warner-Lambert, Pfizer and Eli Lilly among its customers. It has benefited enormously from the emergence of Ireland as a major new centre for active pharmaceutical ingredient (API) production.
It advises and assists its customers in a range of areas from physical infrastructure to making sure their operations meet international standards, and has conducted major Good Manufacturing Practice (GMP) upgrades for the likes of SmithKline Beecham (now GlaxoSmithKline) and Pfizer. The company also offers safety studies, environmental surveys, process control and automation services.
DPS said it intends to recruit mainly third-level graduates to serve in its three offices in Dublin, Cork and the Netherlands. Most of those recruited are expected to be engineers or scientists. The new jobs will arise from an expanded operational presence in mainland Europe, which currently accounts for around 30 per cent of DPS' business.
Mr Cox said at the ceremony that the story of DPS was a "classic, visible and verifiable example of the confidence within Irish industry to participate with leaders in the global marketplace."
He added that the pharmaceutical sector accounts for approximately 30 per cent of Irish Gross Domestic Product (GDP) and employs around 16,000 people nationally.
DPS' chairman, Michael Mulhall, predicted accelerated growth for the company at an average rate of 15 per cent annually for the next five years. He reiterated the company's commitment to biopharmaceutical production, pointing out that biologicals are forecast to make up 30 per cent of the total €700 billion market for pharmaceuticals in 2010.
"A tremendous opportunity exists for Ireland Inc in biopharmaceuticals. New plants will be needed; we are very much at ease in Ireland with the technologies involved, we have a supportive third-level education sector and a workforce with world-class skills," he said.
