Comar Buys APL in Molding Merger—The Interview

Comar, a supplier of custom medical devices & assemblies and specialty packaging solutions, has acquired Automatic Plastics Ltd., a contract manufacturer of injection molded products primarily for the medical device and pharmaceutical sectors. The combined company will have 11 manufacturing facilities and over 1200 employees worldwide.
 
In this interview, Scott Conklin, executive vice president of Sales and Marketing, Comar, took time to share details about the deal. He also provides insights on why APL was an attractive purchase and how the deal will impact Comar’s offerings in the future.
 
Sean Fenske: Why was APL an attractive target for acquisition?
 
Scott Conklin: Many of Comar’s medical and pharmaceutical customers view a global footprint as a key buying factor when selecting a development and manufacturing partner for their more extensive programs. They need suppliers with an engineering and manufacturing presence in both the US and Europe to maximize their ability to serve the healthcare market. The acquisition of APL demonstrates Comar’s readiness to respond to our customers’ evolving needs.
 
APL was deemed an ideal acquisition target due to its location, customer relationships, capabilities, talent, and expansion potential. APL is a medical and pharmaceutical injection molder headquartered in Wicklow, Ireland near Dublin. With Ireland being one of the world’s major medtech and pharmaceutical industry hubs, the acquisition immediately provides an exceptional foundation for Comar to strengthen relationships with multinational customers to grow in European markets. Over fifty years, APL has built a reputation for operational excellence focusing on primary pharmaceutical packaging, diagnostic consumables, and medical device manufacturing and assembly. They are led by an ambitious and driven management team whose customer-centric culture aligns exactly with Comar’s. They are well-capitalized with an ISO-13485 certified production facility housing 30 injection molding machines, automated assembly lines, and ample room for expansion.
 
Fenske: How do you expect the capabilities of APL to complement Comar?
 
Conklin: Comar is a leading contract manufacturer in the US market offering custom design, development, robust manufacturing, and a diverse set of molding processes and technologies, including injection molding, blow molding, and automated assembly in cleanroom environments. The addition of APL’s assets and capabilities extends the reach of Comar’s medical and pharmaceutical injection molding and automation capabilities into Europe – the second-largest healthcare market after the US. For the pharmaceutical market, APL offers end-to-end, automated solutions for high volume, critical to function primary packaging. APL delivers precision manufactured components and complex assemblies to exacting specifications, for the medical device sector. Like Comar, APL has a demonstrated commitment to Operational Excellence and a culture of quality and continuous improvement that enables them to deliver consistently and to drive business growth. APL has built a world-class engineering and manufacturing team, through its commitment to upskilling and training. APL’s location just outside of Dublin offers access to a highly educated, local talent pool to support the labor needs of future expansions.
 
Fenske: How will this affect the offerings Comar is able to provide?
 
Conklin: Comar’s network of ten manufacturing and engineering facilities is strategically located close to our US customers and their supply chain partners. The acquisition of APL positions Comar to extend that network service model into the European market as we strive to support our current and prospective customers’ current needs and future growth objectives. Comar’s design, development, injection molding and assembly offerings will now be more conveniently located for European-based clients. Likewise, APL’s customers will have access to Comar’s considerable US capabilities as they seek manufacturing support for growth in US markets. With facility expansion plans underway for the Irish location, Comar will soon offer substantial European open capacity to support technology transfers and new product introductions in the medical and pharmaceutical sectors.
 
European-based customer and value chain relationships will lead to unique conversations and enriching perspectives that advance our understanding of the evolving needs of the global pharma and medtech markets. This knowledge will inform our strategy, guide our investments, and ultimately enhance the value Comar can offer to existing and prospective customers.
 
Fenske: As this is an acquisition of a European firm, does this enhance the reach of Comar in serving more regions?
 
Conklin: Yes, absolutely. Comar currently services multinational customers, but our commercial coverage and operational footprint has historically been US-based. In today’s environment, it’s essential to have a global footprint and capacity to serve customers locally. Ireland offers an attractive gateway for Comar’s European expansion as it is the hub for the world’s top global pharmaceutical and medical device companies. We also anticipate leveraging the APL platform to bolster further European M&A expansion.
 
Fenske: Do you have any additional comments you’d like to share based on any of the topics we discussed or something you’d like to tell medical device manufacturers?
 
Conklin: Comar is a trusted medical device contract manufacturer with a rich history of growth and capability enhancement over the past 73 years.  In the past 5 years alone, we have invested in two Innovation & Design Centers, built over 60,000 square feet of new cleanroom capacity, doubled our headcount of engineering, quality, and regulatory resources, and strengthened our reputation by expanding our customer relationships and delivering on increasingly complex programs.
 
We are very excited about the future and our acquisition of APL in Ireland and expansion into Europe. Comar can now offer multi-regional development and manufacturing support for a range of medical device production volumes backed by deep expertise in a variety of injection-molding technologies, including multi-shot molding, overmolding, and insert molding, complemented by press-side and fully automated assembly. We have available, open ISO Class 7 and 8 cleanroom and controlled white room capacity and can commit resources quickly to support your unique needs.
 
We would be thrilled to connect with prospective customers before a need arises and hope they consider Comar for their next technology transfer or new product introduction.