Freudenberg Medical opens second plant in Costa Rica

Coyol, Costa Rica – Freudenberg Medical has opened its second production facility in Costa Rica with a $25 million (€21 million) investment aimed at meeting rising global demand for medical devices and precision components.

The 50,000-sq.ft. site, located in the Coyol Free Zone, will assemble high-volume minimally invasive catheters for electrophysiology, vascular and structural heart therapies, along with other precision devices.

Three ISO 7 cleanrooms are operational, with plans to double the facility to 100,000 sq.ft. within three years, which will “quadruple” Freudenberg Medical’s total footprint in the country.

Meanwhile, the existing 30,000-sq.ft. plant will shift its focus to precision moulding and extrusion of thermoplastics, while assembly operations are consolidated at the new site.

“Costa Rica has become a cornerstone of our global operations over the past decade,” said Michael McGee, CEO of Freudenberg Medical.

The new facility, he noted, will expand the company's capability to deliver "high-quality, cost-effective medical technology solutions on a large scale."

According to Roger Gomez, VP and general manager of Freudenberg Medical Costa Rica, the investment underlines the company’s confidence in Costa Rica as “an integral part of our global growth strategy.”

Over the next three years, Gomez said, the company aims to grow its team from 350 to over 900 employees.

Freudenberg Medical said its Costa Rica expansion was supported by advanced digital technologies, including virtual reality (VR) and artificial intelligence (AI).

The technologies will be used to enhance operator training, streamline production processes, and enable “seamless technology transfers” across its global network.

Operators train in “immersive VR environments” replicating production conditions, while AI is used to optimise processes, minimise waste and cut costs.