Originally Published EMDM September 2002
MEDTEC IRELAND 2002
MEDTEC Ireland Returns to Galway
In a sign of the Galway region's success in attracting top medical device companies, it was announced in mid-July that Medtronic (Minneapolis, MN, USA) plans to invest further in its existing Galway facilities, which are dedicated to the production of stents, angioplasty balloons, and other cardiovascular devices. The investment is expected to create 400 new jobs over the next five years.
The move by Medtronic confirms the popular image of Ireland's famous "stone-wall county" as an important focal point in Europe's high-tech medical device industry. According to the regional development agency IDA Ireland (Dublin), there are no less than 80 foreign medical device firms operating in Ireland, employing some 18,000 people. And Galway is the well-established centre of this activity, making it the ideal location for the second annual MEDTEC Ireland Regional Conference and Tabletop Exposition.
MEDTEC Ireland 2002 will take place in the city of Galway on 18–19 September. As always, the highlight of the event is a two-day conference dedicated to the latest issues facing manufacturers of medical devices. Updated and expanded for 2002, the two-day MEDTEC Ireland conference features an all-day track on design for cardiovascular devices with a special focus on drug-eluting stents. In addition, the conference programme features all-day sessions dedicated to each of the following topics: quality and regulatory affairs, product development, EN 46001 and the FDA QSR, risk management, and process validation.
In tandem with the conference sessions, nearly 100 of the world's leading medical suppliers will exhibit their products and services at an adjacent tabletop exposition. Attendees from Europe's medical industry will have the chance to visit with suppliers offering contract manufacturing services; raw materials; packaging materials, equipment, and services; assembly, automation, and manufacturing equipment; electronics; and testing and inspection services and equipment.
MEDTEC Ireland 2002 is organized by Canon Communications llc and sponsored by European Medical Device Manufacturer. The event will take place at the Radisson SAS Hotel in Galway. For more information, contact MEDTEC Ireland at 29 Airways Ind. Est., Cloghran, Dublin 17, Ireland, phone: +353 1 8060557; fax: +353 1 8621482; e-mail: medtecireland@perform.ie; Internet: www.medtecireland.com.
Copyright ©2002 European Medical Device Manufacturer
