A fast-growing contract manufacturing specialist for the healthcare sector has completed a three-year,£3.5m investment drive as it targets new opportunities.
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Katy O’Keeffe, Marketing & Strategy Director |
Europlaz, which has enjoyed 20% year-on-year growth, has recently spent £750,000 on the installation of three additional all-electric injection moulding machines to cope with an increase in orders and this equipment complements robotic technology, Piovan material dryers, a new CMM machine and toolroom/cleanroom upgrades.
Boosted by an increase in capacity at its Southminster facility, the company is focused on both UK and international medical device manufacturers and engineering design houseslooking for a strategic partner who can take a project from proof of concept through to routine and large-scale commercial manufacturing.
“There has been a massive surge in demand for our services, which support the development and commercialisation of devices for use in diagnostics, drug delivery, biotech and pharma,” explained Katy O’Keeffe, Marketing & Strategy Director. “Europlaz is known for our agility and our ability to tackle complex projects, leveraging our design for manufacture experience, our technical knowledge and capabilities that stem from tooling and small batch work to long-term, high-volume production.” She went on to add: “This, combined with our40-year track record, has seen us build an impressive long-term client list, including the NHS, GE Healthcare, Johnson & Johnson and Medtronic. “We know there is a massive opportunity and have responded by continuing to invest in the first eight months of 2024. This takes our total spend to £3.5m over the last three years and we’ve got more technology on order and on its way. This is the perfect time to press the ‘growth’ button.”
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Europlaz Machine: Injection moulding of medical devices in class 7 cleanroom |
Europlaz, which is ISO13485-certified, operates from its state-of-the-art production facility on The Maltings Industrial Estate in Southminster, near Chelmsford. From here, the family-run business offers injection moulding, assembly, product validation and access to modern cleanrooms, all certified to ISO Class 7 for the manufacture of Class I, Class II and Class III medical devices. Most of its work is focusing on helping medical device and healthcare businesses commercialise new technology, with recent success stories featuring a home dialysis machine, a patient friendly and easy-to-use breath operated inhaler and a bio-artificial liver. Thanks to the vast regulatory approvals it holds, the company also manufactures its own product ranges, including neonatal flow sensors.
Rory O’Keeffe, Commercial Director at Europlaz, went on to add: “Sales have increased by 20% to £12.5m for this financial year and we’ve got contracts in place to achieve over£14m by 2025. “Investment has flowed into the latest equipment, and we have matched this with a major recruitment drive - taking on 25 new staff, with a good proportion of these in our industry-leading technical team. There are still positions available that we are looking to fill.”
Another area of interest for Europlaz is decarbonising the supply chain, a key feature for the NHS and other healthcare manufacturers. This has seen it employ a full-time Sustainability Officer, who is responsible for improving the firm’s green credentials by putting in place new supplier environmental processes and exploring ways where it can cut its own carbon footprint.
