In July 2024, Beckman Coulter Diagnostics announced a €10 million investment and 80 jobs for its site in mid-west Ireland. CLI caught up with Kevin O’Reilly, President of Beckman Coulter Diagnostics, to find out more about the company’s aims, its commitment to the site in Ireland, and how a world-class diagnostics development facility can be run in an off-grid setting.

What is the aim of Beckman Coulter Diagnostics?

A global leader in clinical diagnostics, Beckman Coulter Diagnostics (https://www.beckmancoulter.com/) has challenged convention to elevate the diagnostic laboratory’s role in improving patient health for almost 90 years. Our mission is to Relentlessly Reimagine Healthcare, One Diagnosis at a Time. Beckman Coulter Diagnostics aims to advance healthcare by delivering innovaTive and reliable diagnostic solutions that enhance laboratory efficiency, improve patient outcomes, and contribute to better overall patient care. Specifically, we design, manufacture and sell immunoassay, chemistry, hematology, urinalysis, blood banking, and microbiology clinical diagnostic solutions, connected by our laboratory automation and data software technology.

Beckman Coulter Diagnostics is proud to be part of Danaher, a global science and technology leader, whose aim is to accelerate the power of science and technology to improve human health.

Beckman Coulter Diagnostics site at Lismeehan, East Clare, Ireland

What is your strategy for achieving that goal?

We at Beckman Coulter Diagnostics, and Danaher as a whole, believe that innovation defines our future. The following four strategic elements drive innovation within Beckman Coulter.
1. Advantaged workflow is a cornerstone of our heritage, emphasizing efficiency and customer impact, amplified by our automation technologies and superior workflow capabilities throughout our analyser portfolio.
2. Performance partnership leverages our laboratory expertise to partner with customers on reducing lab costs and enhancing operational efficiency. To date, our customers have realized value-based outcomes by reducing the cost per test, driving operational savings, and increasing staff productivity.
3. High-resolution diagnostics includes new, innovative platforms designed to enable precision medicine through advances in sensitivity and precision, cell imaging and classification, and digital clinical decision support.
4. Biomarker innovation aims to address unmet medical needs with the development of assays for targeted disease biomarkers, such as new tests for neurodegenerative diseases, infectious diseases, and hematology oncology.

What is the role Beckman Coulter Diagnostics’ site at Lismeehan, East Clare, Ireland and how does such a major global company come to have a one of its key facilities situated at an off-grid farm in the middle of Ireland?

Beckman Coulter Diagnostics is the largest employer in East Clare and among the largest in the county. On the 18th July 2024, we announced a €10 million investment that underscores our commitment to innovation and growth in the region. The investment will enhance Beckman Coulter’s world-class diagnostics production with the addition of two new fully automated reagent filling lines and upgrades to the site’s infrastructure, boosting both efficiency and capacity.

While the Beckman Coulter Diagnostics Clare site is at the centre of the company’s global operations, it’s not just a manufacturing site. We’ve got strong research and development teams, as well as a number of different supporting functions where global or European roles are actually based out of the facility. Our associates here in Ireland design, support, and manufacture diagnostic products of chemistry, immunoassay, urinalysis, and hematology technologies.

How is the site adapted for life off-grid?

Beckman Coulter’s facility in Clare is a great example of how a cutting-edge company can coexist harmoniously with its environment. The site embodies our commitment to sustainability by allowing for the complete integration of eco-friendly practices on-site, enabling us to manage every step of our sustainability process directly, ensuring that our environ-mental goals are consistently met and integrated into daily operations.
Beckman Coulter recognizes its responsibilities to local farmland here in Ireland, with its 15 900m2 facility located within 120Ha of farmland. Our focus on sustainability at the site has led to the company using re-newable energy, as well as a wormery waste treatment plant to break down waste from the on-site effluent plant, a water treatment plant, and supporting the farmland ecosystem with over 240 000 bees living on-site.
We have two wood chip boilers on-site, and both boilers are supplied with wood harvested from our own woodland. These woodlands have been re-planted with native Irish trees. The availability of the mature woodlands has allowed us to generate 70% of our heating requirements.

In addition, two reed beds on the site provide natural filtration of wastewater, stripping out any deposits from the water before it is returned to the lake.

At the end of 2020, we inaugurated a 5km nature trail and walkway through the site’s forest and farmland, giving our associates a wonderful amenity to enjoy some relaxation and exercise.

Beyond Ireland, sustainability is fundamental to how Danaher and Beckman Coulter conduct responsible business across every aspect of our organization. Danaher recently released its 2024 sustainability report (Sustainability: building a sustainable future; https://www.danaher.com/about-danaher/sustainability), highlighting significant achievements in sustainability initiatives and a commitment to reducing greenhouse gas emissions, including setting targets for net-zero emissions by no later than 2050.

What is the impact Beckman Coulter Diagnostics’ presence on the local community?

Beckman Coulter’s economic contribution to the Mid-West region of Ireland is highly significant, primarily driven by the 550-plus full-time jobs in its East Clare facility. Additionally, we are actively hiring for 50 open roles and have also announced 30 additional jobs, to be recruited in the next couple of years, for highly-skilled professionals for key functions such as Production Operations, Quality & Regulatory Affairs, Research & Development, and more.

An economic impact assessment carried out by independent market research experts Repucon calculated that the economic impact of the company was €183 million based on annual GVA (Gross Value Added) in 2023. Additionally, Repucon reported that the Employment Income Impact of the company for the regional economy in 2023 was €55 million, of which €22 million is provided through its 220 plus employees living in Co. Clare.

Kevin O’Reilly, President of Beckman Coulter Diagnostics, addresses delegates at the 2024 site visit at Lismeehan, East Clare, Ireland

The interviewee

Kevin O’Reilly BSc, President of Beckman Coulter Diagnostics Beckman Coulter Diagnostics, Brea, California 92821-6232, USA

Email: EUPublicRelations@beckman.com
For further information visit Beckman Coulter Diagnostics (https://www.beckmancoulter.com)

Contact Beckman Coulter, Inc.
Address Diagnostics Division Headquarters
250 South Kraemer Boulevard
Brea, California 92821-6232
Phone +1 714 993-5321 / +1 800 526-3821
Website www.beckmancoulter.com