Intricon plans Costa Rica’s first facility for sensor-driven devices

Medtech supplier Intricon today announced plans to open Costa Rica’s first facility dedicated to the development and manufacturing of medical devices with microelectronics, biosensors and electromagnetic navigation (EMN) sensors.

St. Paul, Minnesota-based Intricon’s Costa Rica location in Grecia’s Evolution Free Zone is scheduled to open next year. The company will add production jobs in the second half of next year and expects up to 150 employees at the 35,000-f² facility, which has room to expand to more than 150,000 f².

Intricon Costa Rica has hired Jorge Herrera as site manager to lead the project’s design and construction. The company also hired Sofia Vargas as business development manager from CINDE, the Costa Rican firm that helped Intricon with site selection.

“Herrera has been integral in building out operations in Costa Rica for major technology and medical device companies. … Vargas has extensive experience working with some of the world’s largest medical device companies to enter Costa Rica and connect them through partnerships and collaborations to further grow their businesses and serve customers,” the company said in a news release.

The Costa Rica facility will bring Intricon’s footprint to 280,000 f² at seven locations in four countries. Intricon said the project will diversify its supply chain and team “to produce sensor-driven medical devices as time and cost-efficiently as possible.”

“Companies need the increased capacity and deep expertise Intricon brings to help them meet the growing demand for sensor-driven devices as non-invasive, data-driven healthcare becomes a reality,” Intricon CEO Scott Longval said in the news release. “When it comes to these devices, Intricon has done it all and seen it all, so we can reduce and eliminate risk while accelerating commercialization.”

Medical device manufacturers have been doing business in Costa Rica for decades. More recently, the Central American nation has been drawing medical device contract manufacturers with financial incentives.

“In recent years, medical devices have become our main export product, making the country a regional leader and a key ally for companies of the life sciences sector,” Costa Rica Minister of Foreign Trade Manuel Tovar said in the Intricon news release. “Today, Intricon, a company dedicated to the development of sensor-driven medical devices, joins this dynamic ecosystem of companies of this sector and announces their entry into one of the most innovative parks of Costa Rica in 2024. We feel extremely proud about this great news and about providing, together with leading companies like Intricon, positive health outcomes to thousands of people worldwide.”