Stryker Corporation is investing $30 million and creating 20 new research and development jobs at its instruments facility in Carraigtwohill, County Cork in Ireland.
Stryker Invests $30 Million in Irish R&D Facility
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The company also reversed a plan announced in May 2011 to lay off 142 staff from the facility by mid-2013.
According to the Irish-based Siliconrepublic, the facility will develop the next generation of surgical devices for global markets which “will reduce surgery time, increase operating room efficiency and improve accuracy and precision in neuro, spine, ENT, arthroscopy, general surgery and total joint arthroplasty procedures.”
The investment, supported by the Department of Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation through IDA Ireland (Industrial Development Agency), will create the 20 additional R&D positions over the next four years. The investment is part of a long-standing commitment to Ireland by Stryker.
“We are excited about this important investment in our R&D efforts and the continued support of the IDA as we work to provide new technology to our customers, ” Stryker’s CEO Jim Heath said.
“Today’s announcement that Stryker is investing an extra $30 million in R&D activities with the creation of 20 new high-end jobs is great news and a strong indication of what is possible in this area, ” said Ireland’s Minister for Research and Innovation Sean Sherlock. “Through continued implementation of the Action Plan for Jobs, I am determined to ensure that we derive greater benefit from our R&D activities so that we can turn more good ideas into good jobs and support the employment growth we need.”
The investment by Stryker is on top of the quality improvements that have been made at an orthopedic manufacturing facility in Ireland that had an FDA warning issued a couple of years ago. The company employs over 1, 000 staff in Ireland.
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This is a fascinating development. In my practice we've seen similar outcomes with the revised protocol. The key differentiator seems to be patient selection criteria. Has anyone else noticed the correlation with BMI thresholds?
Great point. I'd push back slightly on the conclusion, the sample size in the cited study is too small to draw population-level inferences. That said, the directional signal is compelling and worth a larger RCT.
We implemented a similar approach last year. Early results are promising but we're still gathering 12-month follow-up data. Happy to share our protocol if anyone is interested.
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