Essential News

San Jose, Costa Rica. August 10, 2023. The U.S. company Intricon has confirmed its plans to open its first plant in Costa Rica for developing and manufacturing medical devices with integrated microelectronics, biosensors, and electromagnetic navigation (EMN) sensors. Start of operations is planned for late 2024 in the Evolution free trade zone currently under development in Grecia.

Headquartered in Minnesota, Intricon will now have operations in four countries, with three plants in the U.S., one in Indonesia, two in Singapore, and one in Costa Rica, its only plant in Latin America. In this country, the company will be advanced circuit board and surface-mount assembly, custom molding, device assembly, and packaging for original manufacturers of medical devices.

“We are very excited about Intricon’s plans to expand our operations in Costa Rica.  This undertaking will provide the company with the capacity to meet our growth expectations, provide our customers with another low-cost manufacturing option, and enable proximity to targeted customers.  We are already in the process of setting up our local presence and hiring key employees.

Intricon’s facility will be dedicated to the development and manufacturing of medical devices that incorporate microelectronics, biosensors, and electromagnetic navigation (EMN) sensors, and I’m thrilled that we will be a truly unique supplier in the medical devices ecosystem in Costa Rica”, said Scott Longval, CEO of Intricon.

Intricon acknowledged CINDE’s support as a private investment promotion agency whose advisory during its expansion process influenced its decision to locate in Costa Rica and choose the Grecia area for establishing operations.

“Costa Rica has proven experience in life sciences as host to 13 of the top 20 original equipment manufacturers as well as 16 leaders in cutting-edge technologies. This leads us to keep reinforcing the sector and welcoming companies such as Intricon, which will put Costa Rica on the world map for manufacturing sensor-driven medical devices and, in the process, meet the growing demand for such products hand-in-hand with Costa Rican talent,” added CINDE Managing Director Marianela Urgellés.

In the second half of 2024, the company expects to add production jobs until it reaches up to 150 employees in its Costa Rican plant - employees who will join a global team with extensive experience and an exclusive focus on sensor-embedded devices for medical applications.

According to Intricon’s CEO, the recent U.S. government announcement regarding the Chips Law (aimed at improving supply chain resilience) and the association with Costa Rica further highlights the importance of this region for its new operations.

About Intricon
For more than four decades, Intricon has improved and extended people’s lives by developing and manufacturing sensor-driven micromedical devices. Intricon collaborates with medical device companies, providing unique experience in microelectronics, including miniature molding all the way up to final assembly, as well as regulatory guidance, supply chain optimization, and scalable production, exclusively for the medical market. Intricon brings the smallest, smartest new-generation devices to life.

About CINDE
For more than 40 years, the Costa Rican Investment Promotion Agency (CINDE) has attracted foreign direct investment to the country. Throughout its history, CINDE has provided support to more than 400 multinational companies established in Costa Rica, in diverse industries including manufacturing, services, life sciences, and tourism infrastructure. A private, non-political organization declared of national interest, the agency has since 2017 – and now, for five consecutive years – been listed by the International Trade Center (ITC) as the best national investment attraction agency in the world.