Work Begins on €100 Million Kerry Innovation Centre for EMEA Region
11 July 2013 --- Work has commenced on the establishment of a Kerry Global Technology & Innovation Centre in Ireland to serve the Group’s global and regional customers in the EMEA Region. Located on a 28 acre site in the Millennium Business Park, Naas; as announced in October 2012, Kerry Group will invest €100 million in the new campus which will accommodate 800 people when opened by year-end 2014 and a further 100 positions when fully commissioned in 2016.
The official ground breaking ceremony, attended by An Taoiseach (Irish Prime Minister) Enda Kenny T.D. and over 200 invited guests, took place at the Millennium Business Park site in Naas today. Welcoming An Taoiseach and the invited guests, Denis Buckley, Kerry Group Chairman said: “The new EMEA centre will serve as a key focal point for Kerry’s customer engagement activities providing strategic customers with access to the Group’s complete breadth and depth of technologies, scientific research, innovation and applications expertise across food, beverage and pharmaceutical markets. Working in tandem with the Group’s existing technology and innovation facilities, the new Centre will focus Groupwide capability to drive strategic customer engagement and sustainable growth. Our project team has received tremendous support from the Irish Government, State Agencies, Kildare County Council and Naas Town Council. We have also experienced wonderful employee engagement with the project since our initial announcement. I am pleased to report that 200 people are already working from the interim Kerry facilities established adjacent to the site of the new Centre”.
Mr. Buckley added that the new Centre will be a focal point for all scientific research, technology & product development and innovation, and would also bring significant career development opportunities supporting functional and business leadership development throughout the Kerry organisation while accelerating graduate / early career development, talent management and training.
Taoiseach Enda Kenny T.D. who officiated at the Ground Breaking Ceremony, said: “The Kerry Global Technology & Innovation Centre at this site will be a landmark, industry-leading campus, supporting Ireland’s global reputation for excellence in research, technology development and innovation in the food & beverage industry. Kerry is a world leader in the food industry and it is most welcome that the Group’s new Technology & Innovation Centre will provide 900 high-skilled positions at the facility on completion as well as 600 construction jobs straight away.”
Kerry Group today is a world leader in food ingredients & flavours serving the food, beverage and pharmaceutical industries and a leading consumer foods processing and marketing organisation in selected EU markets. From the commissioning of its first manufacturing plant in Listowel, Ireland in 1972, the Kerry organisation has grown to become a highly successful public company, having achieved sustained profitable growth with current annualised sales in excess of €5.8 billion. Launched as a public company in 1986, the market capitalisation of the Group has grown to a current level of approximately €8 billion. Kerry Group now employs over 24,000 people throughout its worldwide activities and operations. The Group’s ingredients & flavours division develops, manufacturers and delivers innovative technology-based ingredients & taste solutions and pharma, nutritional and functional ingredients for food, beverage and pharmaceutical markets.
