Cambus Medical/Freudenberg Medical Europe to create 40 highly skilled jobs in a €2m expansion in the Galway Gaeltacht

Údarás na Gaeltachta welcomes the announcement by Cambus Medical/Freudenberg Medical that 40+ new highly skilled jobs are to be created as part of a €1.9m expansion work at its facility in An Spidéal in the Conamara Gaeltacht. This significant expansion will represent an increase of over 60% in manufacturing footprint for the Gaeltacht medical device company who plans to grow to 170+ employees by the end of 2021. The 40+ jobs being created will be in the specialised fields of engineering, quality, manufacturing, customer operations and administration.

Cambus Medical, a Freudenberg Medical Joint Venture partner, has extensive experience in providing precision hypotubes, specialty needles and metal micro-component solutions to the medical device industry and supports a global customer-base across North America, South America, Europe, Asia, Africa and Australia.

Funding for the expansion was approved by the board of Údarás na Gaeltachta as part of the Government’s COVID-19 Jobs Stimulus Package. This 2,088 square metre expansion will provide extra production/manufacturing space and administration offices at the company’s current substantial facilities in An Spidéal in Conamara where recruitment for the 40+ new jobs has already commenced.  The refurbishment will provide Cambus Medical/Freudenberg Medical with the opportunity to overcome previous capacity limitations, develop new manufacturing capabilities and explore new business opportunities and secure new customers.

In announcing the expansion Barry Comerford, Cambus Medical CEO said:

“The Cambus Medical team is delighted with the support from all of our stakeholders; Freudenberg Medical, for its support and confidence in us, Údarás na Gaeltachta for investing in the site, and all of our Staff for making this a reality. ‘Our Dedication Shows’, is our commitment to growing a strong sustainable business in An Spidéal and delivering high skilled interesting jobs for people, jobs that make a real difference to the lives of patients across the globe. We are sure that thanks to our culture, values, determination and persistence, we will someday achieve our goal of 500 people working at Cambus Medical.”

Dr. Max Gisbert Kley, Chief Executive Officer of Freudenberg Medical, said:

“Freudenberg Medical is proud to support the expansion of Cambus Medical as a joint-venture partner. Since the initial investment of Freudenberg Medical in 2013 Cambus has grown significantly faster than the market and has more than tripled the number of employees in An Spidéal. This is a testament to Cambus’ strong market position as the technology leader for hypotubes and metal components for medical devices.

Welcoming the announcement, the Minister for Tourism, Culture, Arts, Gaeltacht, Sport and Media, Catherine Martin, T.D., said:

“I would like to congratulate Cambus Medical and its entire staff on the news of their significant job creation and expansion as the company continues to provide valuable sustainable employment in the An Spidéal area. The Cois Fharraige area has seen the announcement of up to 200 jobs in the medical device sector over the past few months, which is proof of what can be achieved on the west coast of Ireland with targeted state support.”

Government Chief Whip and Minister of State for Sport and the Gaeltacht, Jack Chambers, T.D., also welcomed the announcement and said:

“The announcement of 40+ new jobs in a rural area like An Spidéal is another significant boost to the area and the availability of highly skilled jobs is very welcome at a time when the country is finding its feet following the COVID-19 pandemic. I hope this announcement will highlight to companies and those looking to relocate to Gaeltacht areas of the benefits and opportunities it can provide to businesses and people.  The Gaeltacht is now home to a substantial number of medical device companies and we hope that the news of Cambus Medical’s expansion and opportunities for job creation will be replicated further.”

Anna Ní Ghallachair, Chairperson of the Board of Údarás na Gaeltachta also stated:

“On behalf of the Board of Údarás na Gaeltachta, I wish to congratulate Cambus Medical/Freudenberg Medical and its team on this expansion and the creation of 40 new jobs. This innovative company, established by two local entrepreneurs with the support of Údarás na Gaeltachta, employs many people in the area and continues to contribute greatly to the local economy.”

 Mícheál Ó hÉanaigh, Údarás na Gaeltachta’s Chief Executive Officer added:

“We are very pleased to continue our partnership with Cambus Medical/Freudenberg Medical in An Spidéal who have provided significant employment for over 15 years in An Spidéal. This investment illustrates how the Jobs Stimulus Package and the State’s investment in Gaeltacht areas has had, and will continue to yield, positives results.  In recent months our clients have shown their support for the Gaeltacht by continuing to grow their businesses and staffing in these rural areas, we are very encouraged by their unprecedented progress in the medical device sector particularly over the past year. A Gaeltacht Medtech Cluster in Conamara continues to grow and its global reach and effect is increasing steadily. The continued support of innovative indigenous enterprise in the Gaeltacht forms a central part of our new strategic plan.”

Cambus Medical, a Freudenberg Medical Joint Venture partner, specialises in the development and manufacture of technologically advanced Hypotubes, Specialty Needles and Metal Micro-Component solutions for minimally invasive medical devices used in diagnostic and therapeutic interventions. The company was established by Barry Comerford and John Farragher in 2006 and has grown its customer base significantly in Ireland and overseas since then. In 2013 the company entered into a strategic partnership with Freudenberg Medical, a global leader in manufacturing in the medical device sector.