Tamaulipas, key in the manufacture of medical devices

Tamaulipas

By Anayancy Ulloa

Mexico occupies a relevant position in the manufacture of medical devices worldwide, it is the eighth global manufacturer and the first exporter to the United States.

Víctor Gabriel Sánchez Trejo, director of the Pragmatec technology transfer office, commented that this country has the talent, capabilities and infrastructure to achieve this.

He added that, in this sector, it is relevant to continue working to improve this position as a developer of innovative technologies.

The innovation ecosystem in medical devices requires a greater number of events that allow positioning the innovation advances that are developed at the national level and in Latin America to spread them in other countries.

The year 2020 was complicated for many companies, and this 2021 still presents a panorama of uncertainty; However, one learning that the Covid-19 situation has left is being able to boost the medical device industry; sector that has taken prominence and special importance.

Before 2020, the sector had grown steadily and the appearance of Covid-19 increased the production and demand for products related to protective equipment, reactive tests and products associated with respiratory therapy, including invasive and non-invasive ventilation. .

 

MEDICAL INDUSTRY IN TAMAULIPAS

Production has increased its capacity thanks to the assembly and manufacture of medical equipment, plastic injection, development of instruments for the application of insulin and the creation of supplies and products such as ultrasound cleaning equipment, manufacture of masks and nebulizers.

The medical industry sector employs more than 15,275 people in operating plants located in municipalities with the presence of manufacturing companies. The main development municipalities for this type of industry are Nuevo Laredo, Reynosa and Matamoros.

 

PRODUCTS

In Tamaulipas, companies in this sector are characterized by the assembly and manufacture of medical equipment such as catheters, trays, surgical material, bandage for immobilization of fractured limbs, stockings for diabetic patients, orthopedic products, hoses for dialysis machines, normal and electric wheels, handrails for stretchers, furniture for the medical industry, manual beds for patients, compensator system with nebulizer, staplers for use in heart operations, manufacture of insulin infusion instruments and assembly of respiratory equipment. 

The main processes that are implemented in the production of medical products are from plastic injection, to packaging and tissue assembly.

 

MEDICAL DEVICE COMPANY

In Reynosa, Tamaulipas, one of the companies with the longest experience in this sector is located; It is the Erika de Reynosa company.

Jesús González Romero, general director of this company, spoke about the presence of the company and how this sector has been growing in the city.

Erika de Reynosac has a manufacturing area of ​​50,000 square feet of class eight clean rooms, operating room type. Additionally, warehouses and other areas that make up the plant in this city occupy 80,000 square feet.

Erika de Reynosa has a presence with three industrial warehouses, contemplating in the future an expansion of 30,000 square feet for clean rooms to start a first phase of transfer in 2021, this, in accordance with new products that will be arriving at the company and the intention is bring them to Reynosa.

“We are currently in agreements with the corporate; We already have the infrastructure, the clean room and the investment, we are only in the negotiation process to bring the product to this city, 'explained Jesús González Romero, general director of the Erika de Reynosa company.

This expansion would not only allow the company's business to grow, but it will also be generating 1,000 job opportunities.

 

HIS STORY

Doing a bit of history of how this plant of operations began in Reynosa, in 1991 it only comprised the manufacturing area that occupied 10,000 square feet, 10 production lines and 250 employees. 

Today –30 years after its inception–, the company has a workforce of 4,000 people in different shifts, 20 manufacturing lines and they continue to grow.

The Reynosa plant focuses its production on the manufacture of dialysis equipment, the peritoneum area and the hemodialysis area. They are all the hoses that are used to extract the blood and return it already purified. 

Erika de Reynosa is the largest plant in the world of the Fresenius Medical Care company. 

It has more than 60 locations in Latin America, Europe, Syria, Turkey; and it is in this last mentioned country that a product similar to that manufactured in Reynosa, Tamaulipas is made.

 

THE IMPORTANCE OF YOUR PRODUCTS

To understand the magnitude of the importance of the product that is manufactured in this plant, 99% of the US requirement comes from it. 

In terms of product models, in Erika de Reynosa they have 30 different types and in production figures, there are millions.

Only in 2019, the closure in its production had a differential of four million in volume, while the growth in 2020 was higher.

With the Covid-19 pandemic, companies in the medical sector had a notable rebound in the growth of their production.

"Any critical situation where the body goes into shock can cause the kidney to paralyze, that is why patients have to be dialyzed and our product is focused on facilitating this function. Our products are essential, since if they are not dialyzed, the death of the patient can be triggered, ”explained Jesús González.

With the Covid-19 situation, there were several cases where controls had to be accelerated, since the company could not put its staff at risk. One advantage was that they have a worldwide Fresenius medical area, which is what guides this company and is also aligned with the Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and the Federal Commission for the Protection against Health Risks. (Cofepris).

 

REYNOSA: GROWTH AND CONFIDENCE

30 years ago, the corporate found different advantages to establish itself in this city; Furthermore, the collaboration with the state of Tamaulipas has been good.

At the beginning, it was contemplated to locate only one packing area; However, the opportunity was seen and the workforce was highly qualified in this area, which led to the start of bringing in assembly lines.

“We continue to collaborate with the Tamaulipas government for other growth opportunities. Everything requires risk, but we know that some are mitigated; That is why I am negotiating to bring us more products and open another plant to generate those 1,000 jobs, ”said Jesús González.

He stated that there is a lot of human talent at the Reynosa plant, the staff is aware of what they do, and this is an added value, since quality is important for the product.

“The corporate continues to bet on Reynosa, it continues to have faith in continuing to collaborate with this city and especially with Tamaulipas. Erika de Reynosa is home to 4,000 people and we continue to grow. From a period of a year and a half to date, 800 more people have joined the work team of this company ”, said the general director of Erika de Reynosa.

 

MEDLINE IN NUEVO LAREDO

Another company in the medical sector that is located in Tamaulipas is Medline Industries, known for being the largest manufacturer and private distributor of health care products in the United States. It has more than 52 years of growth and more than 18,000 employees that operate in 90 countries where this company has a presence. 

Production at the Nuevo Laredo operations plant represents 64% of the part numbers manufactured globally.

When making a historical account of the presence of Medline Industries in Nuevo
Laredo, it stands out that the company has a history of three decades in the region. It started its activities in 1988, its main activity was focused on sewing.

Later, in 2003, Medline Industries changed location and located in the Oradel Industrial Park, where its growth has been constant. 

 

HAEMOTRONIC

This is another one of the medical device companies that is located in Reynosa. Haemotronic-Advanced Medical Technologies was born in Mirandola, Italy in 1979.

In Reynosa, since 2016 it is dedicated to the manufacture of single use medical devices such as infusion and dialysis lines. 

Normally the monthly production volume of Haemotronic is 5 million infusion sets per month. However, when the Covid-19 health crisis began, its percentage increased to 30% during the peak of the pandemic.