Page 54 - Our Wexford
P. 54
Business Profile
LAKE REGION MEDICAL
An INTEGER Company
It’s been an impressive 23 years world’s first pacemakers,” to ensure the company sticks to
for the Lake Region Medical Director of Operations for Lake that upwardly-mobile trend graph.
devices plant in New Ross Region, an Integer Company,
in County Wexford which Eddie Kiely, explains today. Since In 2012 Lake Region Medical
was initially set up with a those early days, it’s been success New Ross became the first
workforce of 15 people but has after success for the company. medical device manufacturer in
grown to now employ almost Europe to be awarded a global
900 staff. The acquisition of Lake Region standard in Enterprise Excellence,
Medical by Greatbatch Medical the prestigious Shingo
Both in Wexford and abroad, Inc. in late 2015, led to the Accreditation Bronze Medallion.
the company is much different creation of Integer Holdings Meanwhile, also in 2012, the
today to when it was founded Corp. Integer is now one of the company was honoured by the
internationally in 1946 and in largest medical device outsource Irish Medical Device Association
Wexford, when it was set up to (MDO) manufacturers in as “Ireland’s MedTech Company
service the European market in the world serving the cardiac, of the Year”. So what exactly do
1994. neuromodulation, orthopaedics, they do in that state-of-the-art
vascular, advanced surgical and plant on the western side of Co
Starting life in post-war America, portable medical markets. Wexford?
the business was founded by
Joseph Fleischhacker Snr to The New Ross plant is now one “We manufacture medical guide
manufacture lures and fishing of 27 manufacturing sites across wires which provide a point of
tackle. “About 10 years later, he America, Europe and Asia. The access to a patient’s coronary and
was approached by the owners County Wexford plant is a great peripheral vascular system to
of Medtronic to develop and source of pride to management allow physicians conduct a range
manufacture pacing leads for the and staff alike growing as it has of diagnostic and therapeutic
since 1994 to become one of the medical procedures, for example,
key employers in the southeast inserting other devices like
of Ireland. “Over recent years catheters and stents,” Eddie
‘‘ Wexford is very Eddie points out. Integer, the products designed and
says. This may sound simple
the plant has gradually grown to
but such devices save lives and
a workforce of 880 associates,”
New Ross, can now be
manufactured by this innovative
described as “a very diverse
company are now a vital tool
for cardiologists and surgeons
company, employing
much a pro-business
people of 18 different
worldwide. “It has been estimated
environment with
somewhere in the world every
all of whom
excellent relationships nationalities,” that an Integer guidewire is used
1.5 seconds,” as the Director of
combine their
expertise and
Operations puts it.
with local and national experience An impressive track record and
authorities, educational and one that hasn’t been developed
without a constant commitment
training organisations ’’ to excellence, innovation and
customer service. At the moment,
Eddie Kiely, Director of Operations, Lake Region Medical, the New Ross site ship products
an Integer Company. to customers in more than 30
54 OUR WEXFORD