Edwards to add 370 employees in Costa Rica

Edwards Lifesciences (NYSE:EW) is slated to add 370 to its workforce in Costa Rica as part of an expansion plan in the region, according to a post from the Costa Rican Investment Promotion Agency (CINDE).

The Irvine, Calif.-based company originally established its facilities in Costa Rica in 2016, and currently employs 480 employees in the region.

“Edwards Lifesciences continues expanding with Costa Rica, generating new jobs in Cartago and adding value to the medical devices exports. In our country, the company has a high-tech plant for manufacturing cardiovascular valves which are exported worldwide. It is thanks to companies such as this one that, by October 2018, the life sciences exports in Costa Rica represented 29% of the goods exports, with a value of [$2.8 billion]. By the end of 2017, all the sector summed up 22,400 Costa Rican employees,” CINDE managing director Jorge Sequeira Picado said in a prepared statement.

“We are proud to contribute from Costa Rica to today’s and tomorrow’s product development that aid patients worldwide. Our new facilities will start operating 100% by 2020, with our staff’s positive experience, performance and passion. Our current facility will continue operating at the same time as part of our strategy to build long-term capabilities. We came to Costa Rica to grow hand-to-hand with its people, offering high-quality jobs to Cartago and its surrounding areas, as we contribute to its local community with multiple social programs,” general plant manager Josué Campos said in a press release.

Edwards is looking to build out its workforce between this month and into 2019, according to the release. The company is reportedly in the final process of building a new facility in the region where it will manufacture heart valve components.

“This new plant will allow us to expand to supply the patients’ needs in a high-tech facility. The construction plant includes 9 clean-rooms, with specialized labs, a cafeteria, gym, medical facilities and co-working spaces. The building has been designed with eco-friendly materials under the LEED standards,” compliance, facilities and resource manager Federico Rivera said in a prepared release.

Earlier this week, Edwards Lifesciences and cardiovascular artificial intelligence medtech firm Bay Labs inked a multi-faceted collaborative cardiovascular-focused development deal.