A NEW research and design centre at the Thermo King refrigeration plant in Galway will create more than 20 jobs when it is completed in October, the company said yesterday.

IDA Ireland's chief executive, Mr Kieran McGowan, said the development showed more jobs could be created by encouraging existing companies to expand their operations.

"One of the most important objectives for IDA Ireland in 1997 is to encourage all 1,000 overseas companies in Ireland to add additional responsibilities to their Irish operations," he said at a blocklaying ceremony at the plant yesterday.

"The new R&D centre at Thermo King in Galway will give Irish management more direct input to their own future and to the success of the company's operations in Ireland. It will also make the Irish operations more strategically important within worldwide Thermo King business."

The expansion represents a capital investment of £2 million at the European headquarters of the multinational, which employs more than 1,000 people in Galway, Dublin and Shannon and manufactures refrigerated transport units.

The managing director for the company's European operations, Mr Christy Hayes, said the 13,000 sq ft centre would develop and test products and also provide support for other Thermo King plants in Europe, South America and the Far East.

The centre will test new equipment and will be linked to the company's corporate headquarters in Minneapolis by satellite. This will allow a continuous flow of information between CAD (computer aided design) systems in Minneapolis and Galway, as well as voice and other data communications.

The centre will also offer technical support to the company's European dealer network, in English, French, German, Spanish and Dutch.