Abbott’s Diagnostic facility in Longford has reached a major manufacturing milestone, shipping its one billionth medical diagnostic test.
The milestone was reached in just six years, which Mr Stefan Molitor, Site Director, attributes to the highly skilled staff of more than 300 employees working in a highly regulated manufacturing environment.
“Within six years of initiating shipment of our products, we are now exporting diagnostic tests to more than 130 countries. Medical device manufacturing is highly regulated and demands rigorous quality controls, which makes this achievement all the more impressive. There is no doubt that the skills of our Longford workforce and their commitment to quality and continuous improvement was central to us reaching this pivotal landmark in such a short time period,” he said. “More than 90 per cent of the employees at Abbott Longford have third level qualifications, and one in five employees are qualified to doctorate level, reflecting the high level manufacturing undertaken at the site.”
Abbott’s Longford site manufactures diagnostic test kits for use in hospitals, reference laboratories, GP surgeries and clinics. The site is a centre of excellence within Abbott for the manufacture of a range of medical diagnostic tests such as thyroid, metabolic, transplant, cardiovascular, renal and fertility. The diagnostic tests manufactured in Longford are used in Irish hospitals, including Sligo General, Cavan General and the Mater Misericordiae University Hospital, Dublin.
“The products we manufacture are extremely important in providing useful information for clinicians involved in the identification of human disease or disorder. Accurate diagnosis of a medical condition enables appropriate and timely treatment of patients, which can result in the mitigation or management of the patient’s medical condition,” said Mr Molitor.
“Innovation is key to our business and to serving the needs of Abbott’s customers around the world. Abbott is a global leader in vitro diagnostics and in Longford we have been instrumental in the launch of a number of groundbreaking products,” he added.
