Ireland-based food ingredients and flavors group Kerry plans to set up a EUR100m food technology center in Naas, County Kildare, Ireland, in order to cater to its customers in the Europe, the Middle East and Africa region.
The Kerry Global Technology & Innovation Centre will act as a key hub for customer engagement activities, allowing strategic customers to access the company's technologies, scientific research, innovation and applications expertise across food, beverage and pharmaceutical areas.
Kerry chief executive Stan McCarthy said that the construction of the new center is in line with the company's strategy for sustainable growth, providing customers with access to the company's technical and innovation capability, to improve product differentiation and offer greater speed to market.
"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," McCarthy added.
Located on a 28-acre site in the Millennium Business Park, the center will feature Kerry Ingredients & Flavours EMEA regional management, Kerry Global Business Services and support functions.
The construction is expected to begin in early 2013, and the center will create 800 jobs in 2015 and an additional 100 jobs when fully commissioned by 2016. Nearly half of the jobs are expected to be in the research and development area of the company.
