Olympus has vastly expanded its worldwide capability for reagent manufacture with a newly expanded and redesigned production, research and development facility in County Clare, Ireland.
The facility will handle R and D, verification and optimisation for the full line of Olympus assays sold globally.
In addition, it will be the international reagent production centre for the company's chemistry analysers, and for its forthcoming immuno-assay systems.
(The AU3000i, the first immuno-assay analyzer developed by Olympus for use in the US market, is presently under FDA review; it is not currently available in the USA).
The new facility, representing an investment of US$6.2 million by Olympus Life and Material Science Europa-Ireland, is more than 9400m2 in size.
It includes an R and D area with extensive, modern wet-chemistry laboratories and instrument rooms, along with a single-story manufacturing centre, a high-bay warehouse and administrative offices.
Its modern design incorporates the latest robotic manufacturing capabilities for accuracy and reliability.
It represents a complete renovation and major expansion of a facility that has stood on the premises since 1987.
The project took just over one year to complete.
"The Olympus diagnostics business worldwide has enjoyed double-digit growth each year over the past number of years", said Piers Devereux, CEO of Olympus Life and Material Science Europa-Ireland.
"To meet the growing demand, and to prepare for Olympus's anticipated future immuno-assay business, we decided to enhance and enlarge our facility.
"We expect continued rapid expansion for at least the next five to ten years".
"With our market share growth in North America, we needed expanded manufacturing capability", said Stephen Wasserman, group vice president, Diagnostic Systems Group, Olympus America.
"Not only will we be better able to supply our growing client base in the USA and Canada, we'll also be able to expand our reagent product offering and provide a variety of enhanced reagent management benefits".
Olympus Diagnostic Systems provides products that meet the high productivity demands of hospitals, integrated healthcare delivery networks, reference labs, blood banks and pharmaceutical labs.
Olympus says it offers the broadest standardised line of random access chemistry-immuno analysers, along with lab automation systems, comprehensive patient safety systems, blood bank analysers and reagents.
