Kerry-based manufacturing firm Tricel is to create 100 new jobs over the next 18 months as part of an expansion of its operations here and abroad.

The company, previously known as Killarney Plastics, manufactures water storage tanks and other building products.

It currently employs 100 people in Killarney and 250 in total across its operations in Ireland, UK and France.

Some 40 of the new jobs will be based at the group’s Killarney headquarters and will be worth an extra €2.4 million to the local economy.

From 2010 to 2013 the company saw growth of 57 per cent with an extra 75 jobs created then and has forecasted turnover to double in the next four years.

The new posts will bolster operations in management, engineering, R&D, product development, marketing and manufacturing.

Tricel's managing director Mike Stack said: "Our main success and expansion was actually fuelled by the recession in Ireland which had a detrimental effect on our Irish market which forced us to increase focus on our existing UK market and also on further export markets. We bucked the trend and backed ourselves by making a multimillion euro investment in R&D and plant and machinery within this period. "