US medical technology group Teleflex Medical yesterday said it would create 150 jobs in Athlone.

The jobs will be phased in over five years. The global medical technology company, which manufactures devices used in respiratory care and some surgical procedures, has had an Irish operation in Annacotty, Co Limerick, since 1983, employing 135 people.

The Pennsylvania-based group is bringing its European headquarters to an IDA Ireland facility in Athlone in a move that will create employment in multilingual customer service, finance, HR, IT planning and administration.

Twenty-seven people have already been hired to work at the new facility.

Announcing the IDA-supported investment, Minister for Enterprise, Trade and Employment Micheál Martin said he expected to see more high-quality jobs coming to Ireland.

This was how Ireland would compete with lower-waged economies, he said.

"We strongly welcome this additional Teleflex investment to Ireland, which was won against intense competition from a number of other European locations. The Midlands region continues to be a very attractive location to multinational companies."

Teleflex Medical president Ernest Waaser said: "The availability of highly educated graduates with strong language skills, proximity to Athlone Institute of Technology and Ireland's existing base of premises were some of the reasons why we chose Athlone."

Teleflex was established in 1943 and employs 21,000 people worldwide. The company had revenues of $2.5 billion (€1.8 billion) in 2006.