SLIGO, Ireland—GW Plastics is expanding its tooling and precision molding subsidiary in Ireland, Avenue Mould Solutions, in a bid to meet growing demand for medical products.
The project involves a roughly $6.8 million investment to increase product development, precision tooling, thermoplastic and liquid silicone injection molding and contract assembly at the site, Bethel, Vt.-based GW Plastics said in a news release. The investment also will include expanding molding operations into a 28,000-sq.-ft. site located in Sligo.
GW Plastics acquired Avenue Mould in 2017 as its first European location, giving the company precision mold-building footprint in North America, Asia and Europe.
Founded in 1988, the Sligo-based company specializes in making high-precision multi-cavity injection molds and medical injection molding.
The move to expand the Sligo operations comes in response to “increased customer demand” in medical device and drug delivery business, the company said, noting the Irish expansion will complement GW Plastics' global precision mold-building, advanced injection molding and contract manufacturing capabilities in the U.S., Mexico and China.
GW Plastics is an industry-leading health care injection molding and contract manufacturing company, and offers single-source in-house tooling, injection molding, and contract assembly capabilities globally.
Welcoming the investment, Ireland Prime Minister Leo Varadkar TD said Sligo was recognized as a “major regional center and driver of economic development” under the Irish 2040 development plan.
“The creation of new jobs by GW Plastics is great news for the company, its customers, staff, and prospective employees and is further evidence that Sligo is a great place in which to invest, work, and live,” he added.
Also commenting on the investment, Brenan Riehl, GW president and CEO, said Avenue had brought “highly skilled manufacturing work force, an award-winning mold-building company, and a growing medical device contract manufacturing business” to GW.
“This expansion will take the company into new areas of high-tech manufacturing. It demonstrates a strong commitment by GW Plastics to Sligo and the region,” said Mary Buckly, executive director at Investment Promotion & Development Ireland.