Trelleborg breaks ground on new facility in Costa Rica

Trelleborg Healthcare & Medical broke ground on a 107,600 square feet (10,000 square meter) manufacturing facility in Costa Rica with construction scheduled to be completed in 2025. The facility will be in the Evolution Free Zone Industrial Park in the Alajuela Province in the town of Grecia.

As the company’s first facility in Central America, it will facilitate supply chain continuity through a global manufacturing and distribution base and support key customers in nearshoring production.

Linda Muroski, president of Trelleborg Medical Solutions, says: “We want to provide customers with finished medical devices, components, and assemblies in one location. By producing the components at a single site and moving them to assembly under one roof, we reduce freight costs and management of multiple vendors for our customers, saving them money so they can be more competitive and profitable. This approach also allows customers to focus on what they do best – creating life-changing innovations.”

Capabilities offered at the facility will include liquid silicone rubber molding, dipping, thermoplastic production, and assembly to support key initiatives and growth plans of customers in critical healthcare and medical applications. It will also feature cleanroom production and be designed to meet stringent industry-specific standards for medical device manufacturing.

“Many of our customers are in Costa Rica so we need to be here too. The site will also benefit Baron Group, the Australian-Chinese company we recently signed an agreement to acquire. Trelleborg’s know-how combined with Baron’s technology will provide the basis for the new facility,” Muroski continues. “We have secured a first right of refusal on an adjacent property. This addition to our manufacturing footprint shows we are long term partners for the market, continuing to invest in expanding our capabilities via acquisition and greenfield investments.”

The location of this facility in Costa Rica’s Evolution Free Zone Industrial Park will also serve customers with an eye on sustainability and is part of Trelleborg’s vision to operate on net zero emissions by the end of 2035.

Yonatan Necoechea, Costa Rica Project Sponsor, says: “Advanced infrastructure sustainability at Evolution Industrial Park was a primary factor in the selection of this location. Our building will be certified for Leadership in Energy & Environmental Design (LEED) and include water management reduction programs like harvesting rainwater, energy efficient building design and programs to reduce CO₂ emission like EV charging locations and preferred parking for carpoolers.”

Evolution Industrial Park is located with direct access to the country's main highways and port and is only 15 minutes from the Juan Santamaria International Airport. In addition, it is situated no more than 30 minutes away from the main Western cities, providing access to a large workforce with outstanding technical and academic qualifications.