Bausch + Lomb to expand contact lens manufacturing, add 100 jobs
Bausch + Lomb plans to expand its contact lens manufacturing business in Rochester, a move that will allow the company to create 100 new jobs in the region.
To assist with the expansion, Bausch Health, Bausch+Lomb’s parent company, will receive up to $3 million in incentives from the state, Monroe County and Rochester Gas & Electric.
The project will include an expansion of the existing facility as well as the addition of production lines which will support the manufacture of the company’s disposable silicone hydrogel daily wear contact lenses, helping to drive the long-term, future growth of the company. The expansion is expected to get underway later this year and be completed in 2022. The company is also expanding its operations in Waterford, Ireland. In total Bausch Health expects to add more than 200 jobs across both sites.
“Bausch + Lomb is one of the world’s most respected eye health brands, due in large part to the high-quality contact lenses manufactured at the Rochester and Waterford sites. By expanding the production capacity at both locations, we will continue to build on their legacies as we invest for the future,” said Joseph Papa, chairman and CEO of Bausch Health. “The increased manufacturing capabilities will enable us to meet our anticipated global customer demand for the Bausch + Lomb daily disposable silicone hydrogel contact lenses.”
SiHy daily contact lenses are known as one of the company’s “Significant Seven,” which is a suite of seven key products that collectively are expected to generate more than $1 billion in annual revenue, at peak, in the next five years. Bausch Health believes these products will help drive the long-term, future growth of the company. Recently launched in Japan, SiHy daily contact lenses are expected to be approved and launched in other areas of the world over the next few years.
One of the oldest continually operating companies in the United States, Bausch + Lomb was founded in the city of Rochester in 1853.