EVOLVE Business and Professional Magazine August 2019 | Page 14

by Danielle Anderson
T
he manufacturing industry in America has
seen a revival over the past two years. As
the economy has heated up, communities
like Volusia County are benefiting from the
boom, and those seeking long-term careers have
found opportunity.
Those opportunities include the multi-trillion
dollar medical services industry, of which
Daytona Beach manufacturer B. Braun is a part.
The German-based medical device provider
is a fairly recent addition to the Volusia County
business community, but the history of the
manufacturing facility dates back much further,
according to Pete von Lersner, Vice President and
General Manager of Daytona Beach operations
for B. Braun Medical, Inc.
Moving Parts…
When Pete von Lersner talks about the early
days, it’s with a sense of appreciation for where
he is today.
Before German-based B. Braun acquired
the plant in Daytona Beach, it was owned by
several different companies, including Gambro
Healthcare.
The Swedish company’s dialysis
manufacturing and distribution facilities were in
locations around the world, and included a plant
in DeLand, Florida, which supplied a portion
of the company’s dialysis clinics in the
United States.
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Coming on board in 1997 as the director of
operations for Gambro’s DeLand plant, Pete
von Lersner is generous in his recall, admitting
there were a few challenges with the aging
DeLand site.
He recalls his excitement when talks began
for the building of a new facility on Mason
Avenue in Daytona Beach. His excitement grew
when, in 1999, Gambro made the move official,
reaping the benefits almost immediately with
streamlined operations and state-of-the-art
equipment.
“We made a significant step up in what was
produced,” said von Lersner, as productions
levels went from eight to nine million gallons of
hemodialysis concentrate annually in DeLand
on three shifts, to over 10 million gallons
annually on a single production shift at the
Daytona plant.
“We used to have about 240 employees
on three shifts in DeLand and because of the
efficiencies we designed into the building and
into the process, we were able to whittle that
down to a staff of about 90 people, making the