San José, Costa Rica. April 27th, 2022.OKAY Industries, a U.S. company that manufactures components, subassemblies and offers collaborative DFM/DFR assistance for leading medical device companies, now strengthens its operations in Costa Rica with an increased investment in its facilities. The company also plans to hire 30 new employees.
OKAY Industries, an
advanced manufacturing company, has supplied the medical, surgical, and precision markets since 1978. Since its 2012 arrival to Costa Rica, it has demonstrated its success through reinvestment processes payroll growth; now, the North American company looks toward improving efficiency and reducing delivery times, while implementing new technologies into its processes.
Mario Chaves, CEO of OKAY Industries Costa Rica, stated, “Costa Rica represents one of the largest medical clusters in Latin America. We are truly pleased to be here and to reinvest, demonstrating our commitment to both the necessary conditions for growth and for serving our markets in the United States and globally. We recognize the country’s stability and the potential of Costa Rica’s existing human talent to drive
innovation and enhance relationships with our strategic partners; these elements, paired with a strategic location, are undoubtedly an advantage for our operations.”
For Andrés Valenciano, the Minister of Foreign Trade, news of OKAY Industries’ expansion confirms that Costa Rica has positioned itself as a center for innovation and
well-being: “a place that offers customer-oriented solutions, where an ecosystem of human talent, sustainability, and technology pave the way for development. At the close of 2021, the more than 350 multinational companies established in Costa Rica had created a cumulative total of 162,238 jobs. In the
life sciences sector alone – one of the most dynamic in today's economy – there were a cumulative total of 43,637 created jobs," said the Minister.
Valenciano also mentioned that “we are aware that, in a global environment as competitive as our current market, there is demand for constant innovation in public policies, for strengthening our investment climate, and for improving our country's competitiveness.”
Jorge Sequeira, the Managing Director of
CINDE, also highlighted: “We are proud to continue attracting new investments and then strengthening them, as is the case with OKAY Industries. This translates to greater social progress for the country, through the creation of formal jobs and quality employment. It is deeply satisfying when investors turn an eye to Costa Rica, as a reliable destination for their growth, thanks to our experience. Those efforts are reflected in figures reached by last February: exports of medical devices grew 12% compared to the same period in 2021, which represents more than USD $85 million and a total amount of USD$817 million; medical devices lead the country's export goods”.
Innovation at the Service of Other Markets. As part of this expansion, OKAY Industries will implement technologies to enhance its already highly efficient production capabilities in overmolding, laser cut tubes, machining, laser processing, and other automated processes for medical and surgical components.
In this way, they will achieve greater flexibility in support of customer designs and the variety of shapes, materials, and colors they offer. Additionally, as part of the new investment, they will have clean room assembly capabilities.
Costa Rican Talent. OKAY Industries is located in the
Zeta Free Trade Zone in Alajuela. In the past year, the company has hired 30 employees and now offers another 30 new positions for operators; professionals in mechanical engineering, production, and electromechanics; and machine technicians with experience in molding. Their Costa Rican payroll has reached 116 people.
Interested parties may apply via email to:
reclutamiento@okaycr.com.
OKAY Industries maintains three manufacturing plants: two locations in Connecticut (United States) and the third in Costa Rica, where it has operated for 10 years. The company, throughout all operations, employs 400 people.
