Good as mould : setting the standard for medical injection moulding
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Since its inception in 1988 , mouldmaker and moulder Avenue has gone from strength to strength . To keep pace with ongoing expansion and increasingly large orders in the burgeoning Irish medical and pharmaceutical sectors , Avenue invested in four FANUC ROBOSHOT electric injection moulding machines .
A FOOTHOLD IN EUROPE Based in Sligo , Ireland , Avenue – has been operating in the medical moulding market for over 30 years . Built off the back of a wave of US-based companies looking to get a foothold in the European markets , Avenue quickly established itself as leader in the sector , supplying tooling and plastic components to medical market leaders around the globe .
In 2017 , it was acquired by GW Plastics , a global thermoplastics and silicones solutions provider with facilities across North America , Mexico , and China . This underpinned Avenue ’ s ambition to become a world leader in the supply of medical devices and tooling , as Brenan Riehl – President & CEO explains :
“ GW Plastics was looking to expand in Europe , not only to support a number of existing customers , but also to build new relationships in what has become a very important market for us . Avenue ’ s already prominent position in the sector , alongside its track record of success , made it a perfect partner .”
ACCURACY IS KEY Tasked with both mould making and moulding for high-profile medical and pharmaceutical clients , Avenue is required to provide significant assurances in terms of the accuracy of its output . It predominantly supplies medical devices within two categories : delivery devices , such as auto-injectors ; and airway management products , such as cannulas or those used in tracheotomy procedures .
Given the nature of these devices , and the safety-critical aspect of their application , precision is absolutely crucial . To help with this , Avenue ’ s facility is home to two Class 8 clean rooms with a combined footprint of 400m2 , alongside an environmentally controlled area for moulding . Such facilities are important for a company operating in the medical sector , as Gerard Henn , General Manager at Avenue – A Nolato Company , explains :
“ We are living in an increasingly connected world , and the demands of our customers reflect that . For example , we will often find that we are tasked with making half a dozen identical moulds , that are shipped off around the world for simultaneous product launches .