GW Plastics Increases Advanced Tooling and Injection Molding Capabilities in Ireland

An Taoiseach Leo Varadkar TD announced today that GW Plastics is expanding its advanced manufacturing operations in Sligo, Ireland creating over 200 new jobs.

GW Plastics, Inc., an industry-leading healthcare injection moulding and contract manufacturing company, established its first European location with the purchase of Avenue Mould Solutions in 2017, and is growing its operation in response to increased customer demand in its medical device and drug delivery business.  The project is supported by the Irish Government through IDA Ireland.

Specializing in complex injection moulded thermoplastic and silicone solutions, GW Plastics provides full-service contract manufacturing capabilities with a focus on surgical components, diagnostic devices, and drug delivery systems. The Avenue acquisition gave GW Plastics a unique industry position with precision mold-building facilities in North America, Asia, and now Europe, in addition to advanced injection moulding and contract manufacturing. Avenue brought to GW Plastics expertise in building ultra-high-cavitation tooling – up to 192 cavity moulds for the medical device, diagnostics, and pharmaceutical markets. GW Plastics now ranks as one of the plastic industry’s largest manufacturers of precision moulds.

GW Plastics plans to invest €5.7M to grow their product development, thermoplastic and silicone injection moulding, and contract assembly capabilities in Europe. The company plans to expand its moulding operations into a scalable 23,000 square foot site in IDA’s Business and Technology Park in Finisklin, Sligo. This expansion will allow for the creation of over 200 new jobs in the areas of production, quality, regulatory, and engineering.

The expansion in Ireland will complement and enhance GW Plastics’ precision mould-building and advanced injection moulding and contract manufacturing capabilities in the United States, Mexico, and China. GW Plastics is one of the few companies that can provide a wide array of in-house tooling, injection moulding, and contract assembly capabilities on a highly standardized and global scale.

Making the announcement today, An Taoiseach, Leo Varadkar TD said “Under the Government’s national development plan, Project Ireland 2040, Sligo is recognised as a major regional centre and a driver of economic development.  The Government is investing in the North West region through major infrastructure projects like the new N4, because we want to secure a pipeline of jobs and investment into the future. That is Project Ireland in action. The creation of 200 new jobs by GW Plastics is great news for the company, its staff and prospective employees and is further evidence that Sligo is a great place in which to invest, work and live. Next week, the Business Minister Heather Humphreys will launch the new Regional Enterprise Plan for the North West. The Plan, which has been developed from the ground up, will build on the huge progress of recent years in the region, as well as tackling any vulnerabilities. We want to help each region build on its unique strengths and ensure they are leveraged for enterprise development.”

“Avenue has brought to GW Plastics a highly-skilled manufacturing workforce, an award-winning mould-building company, and a growing medical device contract manufacturing business that has been successfully serving Ireland and the broader European market for over 30 years,” said Brenan Riehl, GW Plastics President and CEO. “GW Plastics is delighted to build on Avenue’s success as Ireland’s premier mouldmaker with this expansion of advanced injection moulding, and look forward to better serving our customers on a global basis.”

“This expansion will strengthen our European capabilities to provide a truly integrated supply chain solution for our customers,” said Gerard Henn, General Manager of Avenue Mould Solutions. “Our ability to develop lasting relationships with our customers from all over the world and partner early in the development process to leverage our world-class engineering, tooling, and highly-standardized global production capabilities allows us to offer innovative and cost-effective solutions. We are thrilled to continue growing these capabilities in Europe and offer more value to our customers.”

IDA Ireland’s Executive Director Mary Buckley welcomed the announcement saying: “This is terrific news and a considerable jobs boost for Sligo and the whole North West region. 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. I wish the company continued success here and I have no doubt but that the Sligo site will become an integral part of GW Plastics global operations.”

For further information on job opportunities email: info-avenue@gwplastics.com

About GW Plastics:
Founded in 1955, GW Plastics has earned a reputation as an industry leader in precision tooling, injection moulding, and contract manufacturing serving the world’s most successful companies in the healthcare, automotive safety-critical, and filtration markets. Specializing in complex injection moulded thermoplastic and silicone solutions, GW Plastics excels at close tolerance mould building, precision injection moulding, and contract manufacturing. With leading-edge technologies, a Six Sigma quality commitment, and a relentless pursuit of innovation, GW Plastics continues to attract and partner with market leaders who seek consistency of ownership, financial stability, professional leadership, business integrity, a high-tech standardized global manufacturing platform, and a highly-trained and experienced workforce. Headquartered in Bethel, Vermont, the company’s standardized ISO 9001, ISO 13485, ISO/TS 16949, and FDA-registered, 21 CFR Part 820 compliant manufacturing facilities are located in Bethel and Royalton, Vermont; San Antonio, Texas; Tucson, Arizona; Querétaro, Mexico; Dongguan, China; and Sligo, Ireland. GW is a Plastics News’ Processor of the Year and Sustained Excellence award winner.

Global market-leading OEMs trust GW Plastics to deliver their most challenging projects. For more information, please visit their website at www.GWPlastics.com.

About Avenue Mould Solutions:
Founded in 1988, Avenue Mould Solutions has become a trusted partner for leading medical device and drug delivery OEMs and contract manufacturers. Accredited to ISO 9001 and ISO 13485, Avenue specializes in the design, manufacture, and validation of high precision multi-cavity injection moulds and contract injection moulding for high volume applications to the medical device and pharmaceutical industry. Based in Sligo, Ireland, Avenue is strategically located in a region recognized internationally as a center of excellence in mould and toolmaking and home to eight of the top ten healthcare companies worldwide. Avenue serves customers in over 15 countries worldwide and is a two-time winner and nine-time finalist for excellence in mouldmaking in the UK Plastic Industry Awards.