Oregon loses medical device jobs to MexicoOregon loses medical device jobs to Mexico

Medical technology company Greatbatch Inc. (Frisco, TX) has announced that manufacturing operations at its Beaverton, OR–based subsidiary Electrochem Solutions Inc. will be transferred to a new facility in Tijuana, Mexico, by the end of 2015. A total of 170 manufacturing jobs will be lost in Beaverton, reports the Oregonian. Portable medical manufacturing currently performed at facilities in Beaverton and Raynham, MA, will move to the Tijuana facility, which is located near the company's production center, according to the Portland Tribune.

Micro Power Electronics was acquired by Greatbatch in 2011 and the name was later changed to Electrochem.

The initiative is "a continuation of the company's investment in technology, capacity and capabilities in support of deepening its global customer relationships," explained Greatbatch in a press release.

Greatbatch is by no means alone in heading for the border to manufacture medical devices and associated components. Mexico's proximity to the United States and the country's cost advantage has made it an attractive location despite the well-publicized criminal activity in some parts of the country and the bureaucracy that companies must navigate.

Mexico is ranked as the 11th largest medical device exporter in the world, according to ProMexico. Some industry analysts, cited by Qmed, predict that the fabrication of medical devices and related technologies will increase 74% over the next decade.

— Norbert Sparrow

Norbert Sparrow is Senior Editor at PlasticsToday. Follow him on twitter @norbertcsparrow and Google+.