US photographic products manufacturer Eastman Kodak plans to recruit a core team of 40 and start production at its new £18 million Irish plant at Youghal, Co Cork in October, executives at Kodak Eastman said. The core team would comprise management and technical staff for the plant, which would manufacture recordable compact discs for the fast growing European markets, said Eastman Kodak's commissioning manager, Mr Greg Glenn.

The newly recruited staff would be sent to the company's headquarters at Rochester, New York and would be in place to supervise the installation of equipment at the 45,000 sq foot Youghal plant in August, said Mr Glenn.

The company hoped to be employing approximately 100 by the October start up date, with numbers rising to 160 at the end of 1996 and 250 by the end of 1997.