American medical technology company BD (Becton, Dickinson and Company) has decided to close its manufacturing plant in Drogheda in County Louth, Ireland.
The closing of the plant is expected to result in nearly 200 job cuts, reported RTÉ.ie, the website of Ireland’s national public service media Raidió Teilifís Éireann.
BD’s Drogheda plant manufactures products for oncology, critical care, and interventional radiology. The company has three more plants in Ireland, which are located in Blackrock in Dublin, Enniscorthy in Wexford, and Limerick.
Altogether, the medical device manufacturer has close to 1,000 employees at its four Irish plants.
As per the publication, BD plans to cease operations at its Drogheda site during the next two-and-a-half years.
The move follows a previous reduction of 60 jobs at the same location about a year ago.
According to RTÉ.ie, these earlier job cuts are part of the latest announced redundancies.
BD had blamed the workforce reductions on various factors such as the impact of the Covid-19 pandemic and the separation of its former diabetes business Embecta.
The medical devices company stated that the reductions are intended to align its manufacturing operations with current market conditions.
The company said that the closure of the Drogheda site will not affect any of BD’s other locations in Ireland.
Additionally, BD stated its intention to collaborate with the Industrial Development Authority (IDA) to seek a new owner for the Drogheda site.
The move is aligned with BD’s 2025 strategy, which aims to streamline operations by optimising its manufacturing network, rationalising inventory and production, and optimising business processes.
According to Neil McGowan, manufacturing divisional organiser with Services Industrial Professional and Technical Union (SIPTU), the initial phase of job cuts of 110 workers, is scheduled to begin in March 2025.
The remainder of the redundancies will occur gradually, continuing until September 2026.
McGowan said: “SIPTU representatives will immediately engage with the employer to attempt to save as many jobs as possible. BD has provided quality employment for decades in the county Louth area.
“The announcement of the plant’s proposed closure is a devastating blow to workers, their families and the wider community.”
In 2021, BD created 100 new positions at its Drogheda facility. The initiative was under a €62m investment aimed at modernising equipment and enhancing production capacity for BD PosiFlush syringes at the site.
