WATERFORD, Ireland—Bausch + Lomb this week announced plans to invest €90 million to expand manufacturing operations at its Waterford facility in Ireland. The investment is expected to generate 130 additional jobs when production commences in 2023 and will provide the Waterford facility with additional capacity to meet expected demand for its Biotrue ONEday range of contact lenses, B+L said in the announcement. The investment will further strengthen the Waterford plant’s position in supporting Bausch + Lomb’s efforts to increase market share in the contact lens market.

This follows a similar announcement in November 2018 in which the company announced it was investing to increase contact lens manufacturing capacity at its sites in Waterford and Rochester, N.Y., by adding multiple production lines at these two sites to support the manufacture of its innovative daily disposable silicone hydrogel (SiHy daily) contact lenses, the company noted.

Construction of the Waterford facility, announced in 2018, has now been completed, and production of the company’s latest contact lenses, Bausch + Lomb Infuse, will start by the end of this year. The Waterford site currently employs more than 1,500 people.

“Our vision is to be the global leader in contact lens innovation and manufacturing, and this latest investment will enable the Waterford facility to meet the growing demand for our very successful Biotrue ONEday range of daily disposable contact lenses,” said Mark Hennessy, site lead at Bausch + Lomb, Waterford. “The Biotrue lens was developed by the team in Waterford and supported by our commercial colleagues around the world, and it continues to grow in our U.S., European and Asian markets.”

He added, “We recently celebrated the 40th anniversary of the establishment of Bausch + Lomb Waterford, and the decision to make this significant investment in Waterford was influenced by our track record in providing high-quality products and excellent customer service to markets around the globe.”

Tánaiste and minister for enterprise, trade and employment Leo Varadkar added: “I warmly welcome this news that Bausch + Lomb is investing a further €90 million in Waterford, creating 130 new jobs for the county. The company has already invested significantly in the South East region, employing over 1,500. This decision reaffirms that commitment and is a great vote of confidence in Waterford and all it has to offer. I wish all involved the very best with this new development and thank Bausch + Lomb for the continuing commitment to Ireland.”