Alcon, the global leader in eye care, has officially inaugurated the Alcon Customer Engagement Centre (ACE) in Cork. Building on Alcon’s commitment to education through the Alcon Experience Centers and other training facilities throughout the world, the ACE will provide eye care professionals with the opportunity to have a complete customer brand experience by combining training and education with manufacturing, research and development. The ACE complements the recent expansion of the Cork R&D facility which will allow continued focus on innovation in Ireland.
For the inauguration, Alcon was joined by Dara Calleary TD, Minister of State for Trade Promotion, Digital and Company Regulation, Rachel Shelly, Head of Medical Technologies at IDA Ireland, and Mark Redmond, CEO of the American Chamber of Commerce, as well as distinguished members of the eye care professional community. This project is supported by the Irish Government through IDA Ireland.
Minister of State for Trade Promotion, Digital and Company Regulation, Dara Calleary said: “I am delighted to support the opening of Alcon’s Customer Engagement Centre in Cork today. This new Centre will facilitate professional development opportunities for eye care professionals in Ireland, enabling them to share knowledge and insights ultimately improving patient outcomes and benefiting the health and med-tech sectors in Ireland into the future. I wish everyone at Alcon the best with this new chapter.”
Arthur Cummings, Consultant Surgeon at Wellington Eye Clinic and Consultant Ophthalmologist at the Beacon Hospital in Dublin who also serves on the Alcon Board of Directors said: “I appreciate Alcon’s commitment to providing best-in-class training and support through channels like the Alcon Experience Academy online, Alcon Experience Centers and now, the Alcon Customer Engagement Centre in Cork. I am confident that this centre will provide a truly unique opportunity for eye care professionals to learn from each other, share best practices, and continue working alongside Alcon to help shape the future of eye care.”
The ACE suite, located within the existing Cork site, will take the customer experience to a new level as it incorporates a 3-station wet-lab, including equipment for cataract, refractive and vitreoretinal surgery, with live streaming capabilities to have a direct connection with Alcon’s Global R&D teams as well as run live educational events. This interactive setting allows visiting clinicians to engage in development and new product ideation workshops, explore enhancement of design in existing products and create conceptual designs for new products.
Jackie Murphy, General Manager, Alcon Ireland said: “The Cork manufacturing site has vast experience hosting the global ophthalmic community, offering a detailed plant tour and an opportunity to meet those who manufacture the intraocular lenses used in cataract surgery, to see first-hand the level of attention to detail that goes into every lens. The ACE Centre will provide a location within Ireland for educational events that will allow Alcon to engage with eye care professionals, to support our global mission to help patients to see brilliantly.”
Rachel Shelly, Head of MedTech, IDA Ireland said: “Congratulations to Alcon for choosing Cork as the location for its customer engagement centre. This expansion underpins the company’s continued commitment to the South West Region and its dedication to innovation. Winning investment in regional locations remains a key focus for IDA Ireland. I wish Alcon every success.”