Terumo adding 400+ jobs in R&D expansion

Terumo is planning to hire 416 people in Northern Ireland, expanding the R&D operations at a plant that produces blood transfusion technologies.

As The Belfast Telegraph reports, the Irish government kicked in about $3.1 million toward the effort, allowing Terumo to add research, manufacturing and commercialization capacity at its Larne, Ireland, facility. The plant is renowned throughout the company for its recent performance, Terumo's Troy Deppey told the newspaper, and its planned expansion will cement Terumo's place in the country.

"Global demand for our products is increasing, and the R&D activities in particular will enable us to tap into the skills and research base in order to develop new products and processes that will increase competitiveness and maintain our reputation for quality excellence," Deppey said.

Once something of an also-ran in the cardiovascular device world, Terumo has been expanding its presence around the world over the past few years. The company's flagship Nobori stent has performed well compared to offerings from competitors like Abbott Laboratories ($ABT) and Boston Scientific ($BSX), and Terumo has been pushing its device into global markets, most recently partnering with Switzerland's Biosensors International to distribute the stent.

And the Japanese outfit is looking beyond its core markets for growth, this year terminating a deal with Boston Scientific to strike out on its own in the urology field and signing a deal with BSD Medical to distribute tumor ablation devices across the globe.

- read the Telegraph story