Rumours of another major job loss in Athlone were quashed yesterday (April 16 ) when Kinetic Concepts Incorporated (KCI ) denied closure of its Dublin Road plant but did confirm there would be five redundancies from its staff of 70.
“We're not closing it [the Athlone plant] but we will be letting a small number go as part of a global restructuring,” said a spokesperson for the firm.
“The five jobs will be going in the production area [of the plant] but the company is 100 per cent committed to Ireland. The site will continue to grow for the next number of years. They are totally and utterly committed to the Irish marketplace and recently advertised engineering jobs at the company. The highly skilled engineering jobs should be increasing.”
Local opinion on this situation seemed equally unfazed.
“The IDA is extremely happy with the progress KCI has made in such a short period of time and this very small reduction in employment does not reflect on the immediate or long-term plans for the company,” said Kevin McCarthy, the manager of the IDA in Garrycastle, Athlone.
KCI is a San Antonio, Texas-based firm that manufactures highly specialised medical accessories and has been at its plant in the IDA Business and Technology Park since August 2007.
Globally, KCI employs 7,000 staff in 19 countries and turned over nearly $1.9bn (€1.4bn ) in 2008.
This converted to a net profit for 2008 of $174m or €131m.
Last year the firm committed $76m (€57m ) to research and development.
The firm was founded by an A&E doctor, Dr. Jim Leininger in 1976 who pioneered the use of “kinetic” or motion therapy to dramatically improve the survival rates for patients who are immobile due to critical injury.
In 1996, KCI introduced an innovative approach to the treatment and management of serious, complex wounds through the use of sub-atmospheric or negative pressure.
Known today as “negative pressure wound therapy” (NPWT ) KCI’s proprietary Vacuum Assisted Closure, or VAC Therapy System has changed the advanced wound care market and today remains the only clinically proven alternative for the treatment and management of complex, hard-to-heal wounds, ulcers, and partial thickness burns.
