Japanese fluoropolymer manufacturer, Junkosha, best known for its peelable FEP Heat Shrink Tubing and PTFE Liners, is expanding capacity across its interventional medical component manufacturing sites.
The company has announced the building of a new facility in Kasama, Japan, planned for 2025. Junkosha’s target is to implement a four times growth across the PTFE Liner products and three times growth across its peelable FEP Heat Shrink Tubing portfolio. An announcement to meet customer needs was made last year and the ramping up of capacity is now underway with onboarding in February. The rollout of new equipment will continue over the next 18 months until capacity goals have been hit.
As a sector, medical technology is now more than ever an essential source of innovation that continually drives new interventional therapies. The devices and the components that enable new treatments constitute a vital market for patient wellbeing. It is therefore critical the sector responds to not only build a resilient supply chain, but also continues to make sure that interventional medical products are always available in order to serve the needs of customers and improve patient care long-term.
Joe Rowan, president & CEO of USA and Europe for Junkosha, explains: “In response to the ongoing market disruption, Junkosha is continuing to aggressively invest in new capacity and is in the process of installing and validating new equipment as part of its long-term roll-out program. Over the next two years, Junkosha will be making a substantial investment into its medical component manufacturing plants, with the aim to multiply output by a factor of up to four times. Overall, our commitment to supporting the supply of fluoropolymer components to this vital sector remains absolute. We believe that providing the necessary transparency will enable device manufacturers to make informed decisions regarding inventory management.”
Alongside its expansion activities, Junkosha is also continuing to abide by its Customer Charter, which it launched in September 2022. The Customer Charter describes Junkosha’s aspiration to be the best long-term partner by working alongside customers to fulfil their unmet needs.
“Junkosha’s Charter provides our customers with a blueprint for what they can expect from our teams. It also outlines a framework from which our teams can act quickly while exercising judgement that is consistent with our brand values,” concludes Rowan.