An Irish engineering firm, which specialises in providing services to the pharmaceutical sector, is planning to create 250 jobs over the next five years.
The company, known as Dedicated Pharmaceutical Specialists (DPS) Engineering, intends to recruit mainly third-level graduates to serve in its three offices in Dublin, Cork and Holland.
Most of those recruited are expected to be engineers or scientists. A large proportion are expected to come from the universities or the institute of technology sector. The new positions will be filled gradually, said a spokesman.
The company is Irish owned and has an annual turnover of €20 million. It draws most of its revenue from contracts with large pharmaceutical companies such as Schering Plough, Roche, Novartis, Warner Lambert, Pfizer and Eli Lilly.
It advises and assists these companies in a range of areas from physical infrastructure to making sure their operations meet international standards.
The company also offers safety studies, environmental surveys, process control and automation services.
DPS Engineering is going through a major growth phase. Since 1996, it has developed from a small scale engineering company with 25 employees to an operation employing 260 people.
The jobs announcement was made at a weekend function to mark the opening of the company's new Cork offices by Mr Pat Cox, President of the European Parliament.
Mr Cox said that the story of DPS Engineering was a "classic, visible and verifiable example of the confidence within Irish industry to participate with leaders in the global marketplace".
DPS Engineering chairman, Mr Michael Mulhall, predicted accelerated growth for the company at an average rate of 15 per cent annually for the next five years.
The new jobs will arise from an expanded operational presence in Europe. Approximately 30 per cent of the company's business is done in mainland Europe.
Mr Mulhall said Ireland was now a global centre of excellence for the pharmaceutical industry.Over the past decade the Republic had developed and exported world-class specialist skills in design, construction and validation of major pharmaceutical projects.
"The pharmaceutical sector accounts for approximately 30 per cent of Irish GDP. It is a huge engine for economic growth and employs some 16,000 nationally.
"The IDA has done a tremendous job in creating the climate in which the sector can thrive and third-level educational institutions have been tremendously responsive in meeting the evolving requirements of the sector," he said.
Mr Mulhall said UCC's new school of pharmacy and the college's biosciences institute were "major, national strategic pluses" which would reinforce Ireland's reputation as a preferred location for multinational pharmaceutical investment.
He added that the pharmaceutical sector was predicted to achieve global sales of €700 billion by 2010, 30 per cent of which would be represented by biopharmaceuticals.
"DPS Engineering will continue a focused growth into biopharmaceuticals while retaining a strong foothold in the primary and secondary areas of manufacture.
"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.
"The prospects are very good for Ireland Inc in this regard and obviously we at DPS Engineering are extremely confident of continuing the strong and rapid growth we have achieved to date," Mr Mulhall said.
