Earlier last week Prime Minister Dr. Lawrence Gonzi announced that Baxter, a company that produces medical consumables for the global market, will be transferring its global Research and Development arm to Malta.
Dr. Gonzi said the company, which employs around 440 people, will be employing 30 new engineers with immediate effect and many other opportunities in product development will be offered.
Malta was in competition with three other countries over the same project and Baxter chose Malta as opposed to other investment destinations thanks to the skills and competences of the Maltese engineers and in view of the competitive packages which are made available by the Government.
The company, based in Marsa, has been operating in Malta for around 20 years during which R&D has always been given high priority. Baxter invests about €3 million in Malta per annum.
Finance Minister Tonio Fenech said that such expansion shows that the Maltese industry can compete both at a local level and also on a global scale in terms of R&D.
Dr. Gonzi went on to say that the Government had already approved 130 new factories and extensions, creating 3,400 new jobs in the past 3 years.
