THIRTY-nine jobs are now at risk at Raheen-based tech company Optel Vision.
Optel informed employees at the Limerick manufacturing plant this Monday about the possible layoffs “subject to a global strategic reorganisation” and “an overcapacity of production at its Limerick facility”.
The Canadian company develops and installs specialist vision inspection systems and services, mainly for the pharmaceutical and medical devices industries.
Optel’s Limerick plant is the hub for the multinational company’s entry into Europe, the Middle East and Africa. Since 2014, the Limerick facility has grown significantly expanding to over 100 employees.
In a statement this week, Optel Group President, Louis Roy paid tribute to the affected staff who, he said, has contributed to the company’s success in Limerick through their “diligence and commitment”.
“We recognise that this is a difficult time for them and assure them of our full support and engagement in the redundancy process. We would also like to assure our staff, clients and the public that we are very much engaged in our Irish and European activities and are working towards further development with recruitment planned in those areas in the coming months,” Mr Roy commented.
“We are still convinced that our traceability technologies in the pharmaceutical, healthcare, food and beverage mining industries meet a European as well as a global growing need.”
One staff member at Optel Vision’s Raheen plant told the Limerick Post this week: “Software is becoming stronger in the company and hardware is selling less because of rival companies.”
Eighty jobs are now believed to be in jeopardy at Optel bases in Ireland, Brazil, Canada and India.
