US-based GW Plastics has announced plans to expand its manufacturing operations at its Irish facility as part of its efforts to better serve customers in the medical device and drug delivery industry.

Avenue

Image: GW Plastics acquired Avenue Mould Solutions in 2017. Photo: courtesy of GW Plastics.

In 2017, GW Plastics acquired Irish firm Avenue Mould Solutions and established its first European location in the region.

Avenue is specialized in the design, manufacture and validation of multi-cavity injection molds and contract injection molding for high volume applications to the medical device and pharmaceutical industry.

The acquired business enabled GW Plastics to have expertise in building ultra-high-cavitation tooling, up to 192 cavity molds, for the medical device, diagnostics, and pharmaceutical markets.

Supported by the Irish government via IDA Ireland, the €6m project will include the expansion of product development, precision tooling, thermoplastic and silicone injection molding, and contract assembly capabilities in Europe.

The firm intends to expand its molding operations into a 28,000ft² facility in Sligo of Ireland.

Ireland’s Prime Minister, Leo Varadkar said: “Under the government’s national development plan, Project Ireland 2040, Sligo is recognized as a major regional center and a driver of economic development.”

With expertise in complex injection molded thermoplastic and silicone solutions, GW Plastics offers full-service contract manufacturing services, focusing more on surgical components, diagnostic devices and drug delivery systems.

The  latest expansion is said to compliment GW Plastics’ global precision mold-building and advanced injection molding and contract manufacturing capabilities in the US, Mexico, and China.

GW Plastics president and CEO Brenan Riehl said: “Avenue has brought to GW Plastics a highly-skilled manufacturing workforce, an award-winning mold-building company, and a growing medical device contract manufacturing business that has been successfully serving Ireland and the broader European market for over 30 years.”

Based in Bethel of Vermont, GW Plastics provides  precision tooling, injection molding, and contract manufacturing services to the customers in the healthcare, automotive safety-critical, and filtration markets.

The company operates manufacturing facilities in Bethel and Royalton of Vermont, San Antonio of Texas, Tucson of Arizona, Querétaro of Mexico, Dongguan of China, in addition to Sligo of Ireland.