Freudenberg Medical, a global contract design and manufacturing (CDMO) partner to the medical device and biopharma industry, is to establish a second manufacturing site in Costa Rica.
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“We are proud to be one of the first global CDMO partners in Costa Rica, having established our first production facility here more than 12 years ago,” said Dr. Mark Ostwald, CEO of Freudenberg Medical during the ceremony for the new facility. “This expansion strengthens our strategy of being close to our customers and offering them efficient solutions along the entire device lifecycle – including cost-effective manufacturing capabilities on a large scale.”
Freudenberg Medical’s new facility will become operational in the beginning of 2025. It will be dedicated to the assembly of high-volume minimally invasive catheters for electrophysiology, vascular and structural heart therapies and other medical devices that require high-precision manual assembly. In the first phase, the new facility will cover 50,000 square feet and house three ISO 7 cleanrooms. Within 3 years of opening, a further 50,000 square feet will be added, quadrupling Freudenberg Medical’s total footprint in Costa Rica.
The new facility will be in close proximity to the company’s existing 30,000 square feet manufacturing facility in the Coyol Free Zone. During 2025, the existing facility will become Freudenberg Medical's specialised Costa Rica site for primary processing technologies including moulding and extrusion of thermoplastics for medical applications while assembly operations will be moved to the new facility.
“The investment in this new site underlines Freudenberg Medical’s confidence in Costa Rica as an integral part of our global growth strategy,” said Róger Gómez, VP/general manager of Freudenberg Medical in Costa Rica. “In the next three years we will triple the number of employees from the current 300 to over 900 team members. Committed to diversity and inclusion, we offer equal opportunities to all.” The two-story building will be barrier-free to meet the needs of people with impairments.
The new facility will be built to the highest environmental and energy efficiency standards. A company-owned PV solar power plant will generate the energy needed to operate the site. “This is another important step towards our goal of becoming a climate-neutral company by 2045,” said Dr. Tilman Krauch, CTO of the Freudenberg Group. “Since the beginning of our company 175 years ago, we have taken responsibility for the communities in which we are at home, as well as for our environment and a sustainable future.”