Vistakon Ireland is to invest more than €100 million in the expansion of its manufacturing operations in Limerick, creating 100 jobs in the process, Minister for Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation Richard Bruton has announced.

It is anticipated that recruitment will be completed by the middle of the year. An additional 200 temporary jobs will be created during the construction phase.

A subsidiary of medical firm Johnson Johnson, Vistakon Ireland employs about 650 people at its plant in the National Technological Park in Plassey.

The company produces the Acuvue range of contact lenses, one of the leading contact lens products in the world.

The news comes as a significant boost to the Limerick region, which has one of the highest unemployment rates in the State.

Vistakon Ireland opened its doors at the National Technological Park beside the University of Limerick in 1995.

The midwest is likely to get another boost in the coming weeks when 400 jobs are expected to be announced at a call centre being lined up for the former Dell manufacturing facility in Raheen in Limerick.