Praise for proud Baxter legacy at 50th anniversary celebrations in Mayo
Baxter Healthcare SA, a MedTech leader, is celebrating 50 years of manufacturing in Ireland.
The company’s Castlebar site, established in 1972 with just nine employees, today marked its proud 50-year legacy with its 1,200 current employees.
A special event with An Taoiseach Micheál Martin, IDA Ireland senior executives and global Baxter leadership commemorated the anniversary and the impact Baxter has had on its employees, the local economy and the healthcare sector in Ireland.
“I’m delighted to join Baxter as the company marks 50 years of operations at its site in Castlebar,” said Taoiseach Micheál Martin.
“It is no small achievement for a company to successfully operate, evolve and grow its business over decades in the face of various global and transformational changes to the business landscape.
"Today is about celebrating that success and thanking Baxter, and all their workers, for their commitment and contribution to Castlebar, the north west region and to Ireland.
"I wish them many more years of continued success in their operations here.
James Morrison, Baxter’s Castlebar plant manager, stated: “We are very proud of all that we have achieved over the last 50 years in Ireland, with an extremely engaged workforce dedicated to providing products that help save and sustain patient lives across the globe.
"We have continuously evolved our operations in Castlebar through the introduction of new products and technologies, which has kept us to the fore of Baxter’s global manufacturing operations for five decades.
"Over this time, our team’s resiliency and commitment has never wavered; most recently throughout the Covid-19 pandemic, our team continued its daily mission of producing life-saving therapies for our chronic and acute patients.”
Baxter’s Castlebar manufacturing site has steadily grown to become one of the largest production facilities for Baxter in Europe, producing more than 150 million products annually.
It’s responsible for producing a range of medical solutions for renal dialysis therapy and drug administration purposes, which are exported to global markets including Europe, the U.S. and Japan.
Since its opening 50 years ago, more than €350 million has been invested in the state-of-the-art facility and its neighbouring site in Swinford.
Together, the manufacturing operations are a cornerstone of the employment sector in County Mayo, with more than 1,300 people currently employed across both plants.
“For half a century, Baxter Healthcare has made a substantial impact on the local economy and provided significant employment in Swinford and Castlebar, Mayo and the West Region,” said Mary Buckley, executive director of IDA Ireland.
“Growing from just nine staff in 1972 to more than 1,200 today, Baxter Healthcare’s Castlebar production facility is among the company’s largest in Europe.
"IDA Ireland wishes to congratulate Baxter Healthcare on reaching this noteworthy milestone and wish to assure James, his team in Castlebar and the wider Baxter Healthcare operations of IDA Ireland’s continued partnership.”
From production operators, chemists, microbiologists, IT specialists, R&D engineers, HR and finance professionals to a variety of specialist engineering roles, Baxter’s Castlebar and Swinford sites offer diverse employment and career development opportunities.
Interested candidates can visit Baxter’s career site for more information.
Baxter employs nearly 2,000 people and has five sites across Ireland.
The company’s long-standing commitment to Ireland is brought to life through its dedicated employees, who are passionate about meeting patient needs in hospitals, clinics and at home.