Datwyler has opened a health care plant with First Line standard in Middletown, DE, USA. The First Line standard is an advanced manufacturing concept for high-quality elastomer components with state-of-the-art clean room technology, automatic production cells, fully automatic camera inspection and a unique washing process. The manufacturing concept exceeds the highest quality standards of the European and American regulatory authorities and is certified according to ISO 15378.
Construction of the Middletown facility began in December 2016 and since then Datwyler has invested more than CHF 100 million in the plant. Some 120 people will be employed at the new location. In Q4 2018, certification will be carried out by customers before series production starts at the beginning of 2019. Datwyler said that the new production capacity in Delaware will increase the company’s global First Line volume by 50 % by 2020. With the existing First Line capacities in Belgium and the recently expanded First Line capacities in India, Datwyler will in future be able to serve customers in the three most important economic regions, namely the USA, Europe and Asia, with locally produced First Line components.