A US-owned medical-device maker is to invest £2.5 million in its Bridgend site, backed by £700,000 worth of funding from the Welsh Assembly Government. Zimmer Biomet’s (
www.zimmerbiomet.co.uk) investment is expected to create 39 jobs and safeguard a further 50.
The company will create a European Centre of Excellence for porous coating technology, used in the manufacture of orthopaedic implants. The Assembly backing ensured the expansion took place in Wales and not at its headquarters in Warsaw, Indiana.
The investment was announced by First Minister Carwyn Jones on a visit to the USA. He said: “It is a key investment that secures the long-term sustainable growth of the business in Wales and ensures it will continue to play a prominent role within this global organisation.
“It is an exciting time for Zimmer Biomet’s Bridgend facility, which is experiencing significant growth and high demand for its products. This expansion will increase its capacity, capability and competitiveness and create highly skilled well-paid jobs”
Robin Barney, Zimmer Biomet’s senior vice-president for global operations and logistics, said: “We are proud of our operations in Bridgend. It remains an important component of our global operations.”
Zimmer Biomet employs more than 800 people at the Waterton Industrial Estate in Bridgend, where it makes a range of hip and knee replacement products that are exported globally.
The company also collaborates with Swansea and Cardiff Universities to develop new orthopaedic products that treat patients with a variety of musculo-skeletal conditions.