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Contract design and manufacturing organization (CDMO) Freudenberg Medical is set to expand its technological footprint in a big way. Company officials have broken ground on a $25 million facility that’s expected to begin operation in Costa Rica in early 2025. 

The 100,000-square-foot building, which will be built over three years during two construction phases, reportedly 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 precision manual assembly. 

The groundbreaking ceremony on what will become Freudenberg’s second plant in Costa Rica took place on Feb. 12, 2024.

“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,” said Dr. Mark Ostwald, Freudenberg Medical CEO.  

Class 7 cleanrooms on site

During the first phase of development, the new facility will cover 50,000 square feet and house three ISO Class 7 cleanrooms. Within three years of opening, another 50,000 square feet of space is expected to be added, which will ultimately quadruple Freudenberg’s total footprint in Costa Rica. 

“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, vice president/general manager. The new facility will be located near the company’s existing 30,000-square-foot manufacturing plant in the Coyol Free Zone. This existing facility reportedly will become Freudenberg Medical’s specialized Costa Rica site for primary processing technologies, including molding and extrusion of thermoplastics for medical applications, in 2025 when assembly operations are moved to the new facility. The new two-story structure will also be barrier-free to meet the needs of people with impairments, according to Freudenberg leadership.

Environmental and economic benefits

Freudenberg officials report that the new facility will be built to the highest environmental and energy-efficiency standards. A company-owned solar power plant will generate the energy needed to operate the site, an important step toward a goal of becoming a climate-neutral company by 2045, according to Dr. Tilman Krauch, chief technology officer of the Freudenberg Group, the global technology company that encompasses Freudenberg Medical and Freudenberg Chemical Specialties Business 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,” he said.

The investment is also expected to lead to the creation of 600 new jobs that will foster growth for the local community. “In the next three years we will triple the number of employees from the current 300 to over 900 team members,” said Gómez. “Committed to diversity and inclusion, we offer equal opportunities to all.”