Custom medical device manufacturer Helix Medical (Carpinteria, California / USA; www.helixmedical.com) has opened a manufacturing facility in the Coyol Free Zone and Business Park in Alajuela, San José / Costa Rica. This is the company’s seventh medical manufacturing facility worldwide and its first operation in Latin America.

Manufacturing capabilities at the facility include silicone extrusion, thermoplastic and silicone moulding, and assembly. Extrusion capabilities include a wide range of tubing types, such as single and multi-lumen – where size, number, and position of lumens or holes in a tube varies – braided reinforced, cord, colour stripe, close tolerance, profiles and tapes, as well as co-extrusion, pigmenting, and radiopacity – which stops or reduces the passage of x-rays.

The facility also offers a wide selection of long-term implant, medical, and pharmaceutical grade silicones. Services also include design and development, engineering services, assembly and sub-assembly, custom packaging, and full validation.

Speaking at the opening ceremony, Irving Soto, investment director of the Costa Rica Investment Promotion Agency (CINDE, San José; www.cinde.org) said that medical companies such as Helix had contributed to the country’s life sciences sector growing from eight companies in 2000 to 41 companies in 2011, creating employment for over 13,500 Costa Ricans, compared with 1,500 in 2000.