At Arrotek, we have been investing significantly in our capabilities and capacity over recent years to support our growth strategy. That growth can be seen in our production output figures, as the volume of products manufactured and shipped at our Sligo facility increased by 90 percent between 2020 and 2022. We have also just completed work on extending the facility.
Arrotek provides medical device design, manufacturing, and regulatory services. We moved into our current purpose-built facility in Finisklin, Sligo in 2019. The new extension that we have just completed created an additional 20,000 sq. ft. of office and engineering space, bringing the total capacity of the facility to 50,000 sq. ft.
We have also been increasing our cleanroom capacity. We opened our third cleanroom in 2021 and plan to have a fourth opened before the end of this year. Our cleanroom capabilities include:
- 150 sqm Class 7 cleanroom
- 125 sqm Class 8 cleanroom
- 180 sqm Class 7 cleanroom
- 275 sqm Class 7 cleanroom and 140 sqm packing area under construction
Richard McLoughlin, Sales & Marketing Manager at Arrotek said the new extension will allow us to accommodate our growing team and continue delivering on the requirements of our growing base of customers.
Richard said: “We announced the creation of 100 new jobs last year and we have been actively recruiting to fill those positions. The additional engineering and office space at our Sligo facility means we can continue with our growth plans.
“We are excited to complete this expansion of our facility. It will allow us to continue to provide our customers with the highest quality products and services. We are committed at Arrotek to investing in our facility, our team, and our capabilities to meet the needs of our customers and support their success.”
Successful Extension Building Project
Work to build the new 20,000 sq. ft. extension began in January 2022 and was completed in February 2023 ahead of schedule and within budget. The work was also planned and executed to ensure zero downtime in our day-to-day operations.
Arrotek’s Aine McDonagh was the project manager on the extension project. She said: “The project was divided over five stages and one of our primary goals was to ensure the building work didn’t impact our cleanrooms, engineering, or other operations. An example is the construction of new access to the cleanrooms, as the new access was essential to maintain continuous operations.
“The team at Arken Construction were great, and all construction milestones were achieved. We were delighted to complete the work a couple of weeks ahead of schedule and within budget.”
Investment and Growth
The investments we have made at Arrotek over the past number of years are not limited to the physical infrastructure at our facility, as we have also invested considerably in manufacturing equipment and technologies. Equipment investment highlights include:
- Doubling the number of moulding machines
- Vertical lamination machine
- Braiding machine
- Coiling technology
- Laser welding
- Ultrasonic welding
- 3D printers
Dermot Scollan, Production Manager at Arrotek, said: “Based on current trends, we will ship 50 percent more products this year than we did in 2022. The expansion of our capabilities, from engineering floorspace to cleanroom capacity to new equipment, has enabled us to meet the requirements of our customers. We also have capacity to meet future needs.”
Commenting on Arrotek’s investment in its Irish operations, Sinead Keogh, Director at IBEC and Head of the Irish Medtech Association, said: “Arrotek’s expansion is a great example of the growth potential of the medical device industry in Ireland. The country’s highly skilled workforce, supportive business environment, and investment in research and development make it an attractive location for companies like Arrotek to expand and innovate.”
