U.S. medical device and orthopedic implant maker Stryker is set to cut 142 jobs at an Irish manufacturing plant as it consolidates two of its three factories in the country, RTE News reports.
The news channel said the announcement was made at staff meetings at the two merging plants, in Carrigtwohill, a town in County Cork, located at Ireland's southern end in the province of Munster.
“As part of this consolidation, the production of certain products will be transferred to other Stryker manufacturing locations outside of Ireland, taking place in phases commencing in June 2012 and expected to be completed by March 2013," the company said in a statement, reported by the Irish Times.
But the company said it would create 60 new jobs over the next four years as it expands its endoscopy division. Some of the laid off employees could be re-trained for these new posts, RTE said.
Stryker, headquartered in Kalamazoo, Mich., employs 2,000 people in Ireland, 700 of whom work at the two merging plants.
