Up to 70 new jobs are expected to be created at Sanofi (formerly Genzyme) by the end of the year as part of ongoing site expansion, bringing total staff numbers at the plant to 700.
The company announced on Monday that the Old Kilmeaden Road site – which has operated as Genzyme Waterford since 2001 – will be identified as Sanofi Waterford from August 2016 onwards.
The move, according to a company spokesperson, will ‘more accurately reflect the site’s alignment within the global organisation and the pipeline of new product introductions planned for Waterford in the coming period.
There are currently more than 630 people employed at the Waterford facility which has seen over €600m invested in infrastructure projects over the last 15 years.
Around 40 new posts are currently being advertised at the local plant and well-placed sources have indicated that up to 70 new engineering and quality professionals are likely to be recruited by the year’s end.
Sanofi acquired Genzyme in 2011 and Waterford operation has been increasingly closely integrated with Sanofi Industrial Affairs, according Ruth Beadle, Site Head at Sanofi Waterford.
“This is the logical next step as we plan for the future and build on the track record of achievement and growth here since 2001,” said Ruth Beadle, Site Head at Sanofi Waterford”, she commented. “We are very mindful of the affinity that Waterford has developed for Genzyme over the last 15 years and the support we have had from the external community is something that we value and look forward to seeing continue as Sanofi Waterford. Our dedicated professional team at Waterford continues to grow as the site seizes the opportunities that arise as part of a large global organisation.”
