Flextronics buys Slovakian medical disposables manufacturer

Flextronics is expanding its medical disposables business with the acquisition of Slovakian disposable medical devices manufacturer Slomedical sro. Slomedical’s products range from tubing sets to devices for minimally invasive surgery. The share purchase agreement is expected to close before the end of 2009, pending required regulatory clearances.

Flextronics, which recently completed an expansion of its Tijuana, Mexico disposable medical device campus, says the addition of Slomedical’s assets will allow the company to “significantly advance its disposables strategy throughout Europe.” In Mexico, Flextronics vertically integrated injection molding and extrusion capabilities, as well as clean room assembly.

Dan Croteau, president, Flextronics Medical, said in a release that once the deal is completed, Flextronics will expand Slomedical’s operations, by investing in additional manufacturing, quality systems, and design services. Founded in 2003, Slomedical sro started operations with a 36m² clean room and 15 employees. In 2005, the company moved into a new factory within an industrial park at Vrable, approximately 100 km east of Bratislava. That building covers 7500m², including 800m² of Class 100,000 cleanroom (ISO 8) space, which is divided into three partitions. Since the expansion, the company has grown from 25 employees and two customers to 200 employees and eight customers. Quality certifications include ISO 9001:2003, ISO 13485:2003, and the CE Mark according to Directive 93/42/EEC. The company maintains a network of partner companies that provide gamma and ETO sterilization, injection molding, and extrusion. According to the company’s website, it has four blister packaging machines, as well as ultrasonic welding and cleaning equipment, and “a multitude of equipment for the processing of plastic material.”

Gary Watson, senior director of corporate strategy at Flextronics told PlasticsToday that currently the site is not doing any direct molding or extrusion, but instead using local partners. Materials handled at the site include polyvinyl chloride (PVC) and urethanes, among others.

Considered the second-largest market for medical devices globally, Europe’s medical-device manufacturing sector was forecast to expand by 9% in 2008, according to an October 2007 forecast by the U.S. Dept. of Commerce’s International Trade Admin. Espicom Business Intelligence’s Outlook for Medical Device Markets in Western Europe found that the 11 countries covered in its report represented a total market value of $58.3 billion in 2008. Espicom forecasts that figure will grow by $24.1 billion over the next five years to $82.4 billion. —Tony Deligio