Acquisition adds to MedPlast's assembly operations

TEMPE, Ariz.—Medical molder and contract manufacturer MedPlast Inc. has expanded its assembly resources with the acquisition of Coastal Life Technologies Inc.

MedPlast announced the deal July 13 but did not disclose terms.

Coastal Life runs a new, modern 135,000-sq.-ft. facility in San Antonio. The purchase gives MedPlast its 23rd manufacturing facility worldwide.

"We are a contract assembler," Coastal Life President David Huff said in a phone interview. The firm specializes in designing, producing, assembling and packaging single-use surgical devices for medical goods manufacturers. It also supplies automotive and other markets with assembly services, he added.

The San Antonio operation includes a 16,000-sq.-ft. ISO Class 8 clean room for assembly and kitting, Huff said. Another 5,000 square feet is available for non-sterile assembly. In total the San Antonio facility covers 135,000 square feet including warehousing and administrative areas.

"It has strong operational device assembly competencies that will enrich our overall quality and productivity, and bring us another step closer to becoming the first end-to-end contract manufacturing services provider in the medical device industry," Bill Flaherty, president of the Medical Device Solutions unit of MedPlast, said in a news release.

Huff and three other investors founded Coastal Life in 2000. Huff will continue with the business.

"Both of our companies have high quality standards and practices that, when combined, will make us a stronger organization," Huff said.

MedPlast, based in Tempe, acquired Vention Medical's device manufacturing business just three months ago. That deal added facilities to MedPlast's global manufacturing network, bringing to the table factories in North and Central America, Asia and Europe. The transaction more than doubled MedPlast's size, officials revealed at the time.

The two recent acquisitions follow MedPlast's change in ownership in late 2016. Water Street Healthcare Partners and JLL Partners bought the Arizona corporation from private equity Baird Capital Partners.

Coastal Life started out as a producer of medical laser fibers in 2000. It expanded in phases, adding technologies along the way. In 2011 it automated its tubing handling system. Form/fill/seal capability was added in 2012 in response to customer requests. In 2013 it added electro-mechanical assembly and soft goods manufacturing. The firm also can sterilize single-use devices. Its quality systems are certified to ISO 13485 standards.