Nestlé has announced it will invest more than €25m in the expansion of its R&D centre at its Wyeth Nutritionals facility at Askeaton in Co Limerick. The Wyeth facility produces a range of premium powdered milk-based products for infants, young children and mothers for export to world markets.

The investment will expand the existing R&D centre at Askeaton, which will focus on developing product innovations for Wyeth’s infant formula and maternal nutrition business. The facility expansion is expected to open in late 2017.

Critical

Director of Enterprise Ireland’s food division Michael Cantwell described Nestlé’s investment in its R&D facility in Askeaton as being of “critical strategic importance”.

“This is a strategically important investment for Ireland and is a huge vote of confidence in the future of the Irish dairy industry and the research connectedness in Ireland,” added Cantwell.

Nestlé’s chief technology officer Stefan Catsicas said that the Askeaton investment would position Nestlé at the fore of infant and maternal nutritional product development.

“[The investment] will incorporate state of the art laboratory facilities as well as a full pilot-scale manufacturing line to facilitate development and testing of new products from initial concept through to finished product development,” said Catsicas.