HJ Heinz, of which Dr Tony O'Reilly is chairman, has announced plans to invest more than $2 million (€2 million) in the establishment of a new packaging company in Dublin, leading to the creation of 60 jobs.

The Heinz Packaging Company Ltd, which will receive grant aid from IDA Ireland, will be located at the Park West Business Park. It will initially produce packaging origination material to pre-print stage for all Heinz products in Europe and later for Heinz products throughout the world.

The new facility will guarantee standardisation of icons, formats and colours in Heinz labels and packaging. "The current use of local repro houses makes global standardisation of print work virtually impossible," said Mr Jonathan Clough, managing director of Heinz Packaging.

The project currently employs 15 people but this will increase to 60 by the second year of the programme. Heinz already operates a frozen and chilled foods plant in Dundalk which employs more than 400 people.