Helix Medical to Open a New Manufacturing Facility in Costa Rica

CARPINTERIA, Calif., Feb. 7, 2011 /PRNewswire/ -- Helix Medical, LLC, a global manufacturer for the medical device and healthcare industries, will soon begin construction on a new medical manufacturing facility in Costa Rica. Helix Medical signed a leasing agreement in The Coyol Free Trade Zone and Business Park in Alajuela, Costa Rica, just outside of San Jose.  The company will invest more than $4M in the new plant that will soon employ more than 100 people.  Helix Medical expects this new facility to begin production in the first quarter of 2012.

"We chose Costa Rica to be close to our customers in Latin America," said Andy Becker , Vice President and General Manager, Carpinteria and Costa Rica at Helix Medical, LLC.  "The country offers a large medical device community with a skilled workforce as well as a good reputation for security and infrastructure."

Helix Medical Costa Rica will offer contract manufacturing services which include silicone extrusion, silicone molding, thermoplastic molding, and assembly operations.  Additionally, the facility will be ISO 13485 certified with Class 7 & 8 cleanrooms.

About Helix Medical, LLC

Helix Medical, a division of the Freudenberg Group, is a global custom manufacturer for the medical device, pharmaceutical, biotech, and IVD industries with six manufacturing operations worldwide. Medical manufacturing capabilities include silicone and thermoplastic molding and extrusions, complex catheter systems, assembly, packaging, and engineering services.  Helix Medical operates an FDA-registered medical device facility, certified ISO 13485 with Class 7 & 8 cleanrooms. Established in 1984 and headquartered in Carpinteria, California, Helix Medical currently manufactures in California, Massachusetts, Germany, Ireland, and China.

www.helixmedical.com

SOURCE Freudenberg Group

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