The Massachusetts-based company is ‘transforming healthcare’ by using augmented and virtual reality for training.
Freudenberg Medical, a global contract design and manufacturing partner to the medical device and biopharma industry has won the title of the 2024 Medtech Company of the Year.
Irish Medtech, the Ibec group (business lobby) that represents the Irish medtech sector, Enterprise Ireland and IDA Ireland announced the winners as part of the Medtech Rising business conference in Galway on 5 December.
Irish Medtech runs the annual event to celebrate the achievement and diversity in the industry, and this year’s event explored the shifting global trends, Ireland’s competitive position, disruptive innovation, sustainability in medtech and fostering diverse workforces.
Freudenberg Medical partners with businesses to offer medical device manufacturing services including catheters, implantable medical devices, drug coating and electrically conductive silicone which protects medical wearables from dirt and water. Moreover, the company also specialises in electrophysiology devices, which measure the heart’s electrical activity
Currently employing more than 1,000 people in Ireland, Freudenberg Medical recently announced 250 new jobs at its newly expanded facility in Leitrim. The recruitment drive in the county is expected to increase the staffing levels at the Leitrim facility by more than a third – to 950 people, by 2026.
Freudenberg, the Massachusetts-based company has had an Irish presence for 25 years, supported in the country by the Irish Government through IDA Ireland and Údarás na Gaeltachta.
“I’m delighted to announce that this year’s Medtech Company of the Year is Freudenberg Medical, a contract manufacturer of choice, employing over 1,000 people in Ireland with sites in Leitrim and Galway, with 350 new jobs announced over the past 14 months,” said Dr Eoghan Ó Faoláin, the director of Irish Medtech.
“Freudenberg Medical is transforming healthcare by reducing training time for new operators by 75pc through the deployment of augmented/virtual reality technology and ‘gamified’ training.”
Meanwhile Barry Regan, the vice president and general manager of Freudenberg Medical’s Co Leitrim facility in Carrick-on-Shannon, said: “This award celebrates the innovative mindset of our teams at Freudenberg Medical , from successful customer collaborations to deliver transformative medical devices to our investments in smart manufacturing, VR training, and AI-powered planning tools.”
Freudenberg competed for the award with Arrotek Medical, a company specialising in the design and manufacture of minimally invasive medical devices and Lawrence Engineering, a manufacturing partner for the medical device industry.
The other winners this year include Luma Vision, the winner of the Emerging Medtech Company of the Year Award, the Digital Health Innovation of the Year Award, which went to Galenband and Stryker Ireland, which won the Sustainable Medtech Company of the Year Award.
Stryker, also the winner the Best Diversity and Representation Company Initiative Award, is a global medtech company that develops and manufactures innovative products to improve patient care and surgical efficiency.
Recently, Silicon Republic’s Ann O’Dea spoke with Stryker’s Mag O’Keeffe, the company’s vice-president of global additive technologies at the Leaders’ Room podcast.
Commenting on Stryker’s win Faoláin said that “each of Stryker’s sites in Ireland have an established Stryker Environmental Alliance chapter to reduce energy and carbon emissions while increasing awareness of its environmental impact with events for Annual Earth Day and World Bee Day, along with more ambitious projects like their Wind Turbine Development Plan.”
Here’s a full list of winners this year.
- Medtech Company of the Year Award: Freudenberg Medical
- Emerging Medtech Company of the Year Award: LUMA Vision
- Best Process-Product Innovation in Medtech Award: Boston Scientific Cork
- Digital Health Innovation of the Year Award: Galenband
- Collaboration in Medtech Award: University of Galway and Medtronic Signature Innovation Partnership
- Medtech Partner/Supplier of the Year Award: Freudenberg Medical
- Sustainable Medtech Company of the Year Award: Stryker Ireland
- Best Talent Strategy in Medtech Award: Johnson & Johnson MedTech
- Best Diversity and Representation Company Initiative Award: Stryker Ireland
- Outstanding Contribution to Medtech Award: Dr Sinéad Keogh
- Medtech Connect+: Spiorad Medical
Last year, Deciphex, a pathology start-up based in Dublin won the prestigious Medtech Company of the Year.
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