Medical Company Expands to Costa Rica

Since 1994, Bentec Medical has produced latex-free medical devices at its headquarters in Woodland, California, in the United States. In July of 2009, the company decided to undertake its first international expansion in Costa Rica.

“The main reason we decided to come here was because we have existing customers in Costa Rica and we wanted to continue to have their business,” said Daurice Schriener, vice president of sales and marketing at Bentec. “The more we looked into moving here, the more we saw that we could find great employees with a good skill set and a high education level. Everything matched what we were looking for.”

Bentec's decision to expand operations to Costa Rica is one that has been shared by many others in the same field. Since Baxter Health Care opened its first plant in Cartago, east of San Jose, in 1988, an additional 30 foreign medical companies have created or expanded operations in Costa Rica, a trend that shows no signs of slowing down.

“In 2010, we expect that the medical sector will continue to be dynamic,” said Gabriela Llobet, director general of the Costa Rican Investment Board (CINDE). “It will continue to develop into one of the fastest growing industries in the country.”

At least through the first two months of 2010, Llobet's words have rung true.

According to the Foreign Trade Promotion Office (PROCOMER), January and February exports of medical supplies and devices raked in more than $191 million, representing nearly 13 percent of the country's overall exports. In 2009, the export of medical products generated more than $1.34 billion for the economy and accounted for 15.5 percent the nation's total exports. The export of medical products makes up the second largest share of the national export market, following only microprocessors and electronic components, which account for more than 20 percent of exports.

“The medical sector is almost recession proof,” said Andrea Centeno, communications manager at CINDE. “Despite a slow economy and lowered (overall) demand for exports, there is always demand for health products. There is always a need for forceps. There is always a need for medications. There is always a need for medical products, no matter the economic situation.”

 

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