Smiths Medical Opens Facility in the Czech Republic

United Kingdom-based medical device manufacturer Smiths Medical has initiated the first phase of a new production unit in the Prerov region of the Czech Republic.

The company moved into the 29,500-square-foot manufacturing and assembly facility at the CTPark industrial zone in Hranice in July 2013 and the leased unit was officially opened in September.

Smiths Medical will turn out a range of high-tech products at the plant, primarily single-use medical devices to support breathing and for drug delivery. The facility includes state-of-the-art clean room facilities.

The firm, a division of London, England-based global technology group Smiths Group, is investing more than approximately $9 billion on the Czech plant, which is set to employ up to 300. It will be fully operational in the first half of 2014.

Smiths Medical produces a range of high-tech devices used for surgical procedures and hospital care, including equipment for cardiovascular treatment, incubation and in-vitro fertilization.

The company, which had headline revenue of almost $1.3 billion in fiscal 2013, has other European production plants in Germany, Italy and the U.K., with production units in China, Mexico and the United States. The company employs 7,900 worldwide.