Two companies have announced the creation of 78 new jobs in Mallow, Co Cork and Limerick with support provided through Enterprise Ireland.

The EPS Group, a provider of water and wastewater treatment and pumping solutions, is to create 50 new jobs as part of a €3 million expansion at its plant in Mallow.

The facility is currently subject to a planning application process with Cork County Council. Providing planning application is successful, construction will commence in the summer with 35 temporary construction jobs to be created.

"The proposed expansion is the next necessary step in the development of our business, and will reinforce our position as one of the leading water and wastewater companies in our markets where we provide a full end to end service for our customers," said Patrick Buckley, deputy managing director at the EPS Group.

Separately, Payback Loyalty, a company that has developed a cloud-based solution that allows clients to capture and analyse consumer basket data for both in-store and online purchases, is to create 28 new jobs as part of a €2.5 million expansion programme at its operation in Limerick's Nationa lTechnology Park.

"Having gained leading industry recognition in the Irish market, this investment demonstrates Payback's commitment to unlocking the wider international potential of our digital consumer engagement platform," said the company's chief executive Richard Gubbins.

Minister for Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation Richard Bruton welcomed the jobs announcement.