Wednesday, October 8, 2008

Millipore opens manufacturing site in Ireland

By Mass High Tech Staff

After an announcement last month of consolidating facilities and jobs, Millipore Corp. has announced the opening of a new 30,000-square-foot manufacturing facility for membrane casting in Carrigtwohill, County Cork, Ireland. The $83 million factory will be responsible for making membranes used in filtration and purification products.

Millipore (NYSE: MIL) held its opening ceremony yesterday, which officials said honored both the opening of the new site and the 20 years that Millipore has maintained a County Cork location.

Last month, Millipore announced its consolidation plan, which involves the closing of its Lincoln Park, N.J., facility; proposals to shut down operations at the Consett and Cambridge, U.K. locations; and a notice of intent to close the Nodinge, Sweden facility. Karen Hall, a Millipore spokeswoman, said at the time that work conducted at those facilities would be moved to Millipore’s operations in Cork, Ireland; in Molsheim, France; and in St. Charles, Mo., affecting up to 140 positions through job cuts, relocations and new hirings.

A filing with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission cited market conditions and a loss of revenue from the company’s Bioprocess division as reason for the restructuring. Hall cited an expected total cost burden of $25 million to $30 million for the consolidation, with a plan to save $10 million to $15 million annually following a planned completion at the end of 2009.

Millipore, which has its headquarters in Billerica, specializes in technologies, tools and services for bioscience research and biopharmaceutical manufacturing companies. The company employs 6,000 workers in 47 countries, and reported 2007 net income of $136 million on revenue of $1.5 billion.