The medical device giant is investing millions of dollars to expand domestic production of syringes, needles, and catheters. BD operates the only large-scale syringe manufacturing plants in the United States.
Global medtech giant BD announced that it is adding capacity to its US-based footprint for the production of critical medical devices, including syringes, needles, and IV catheters.
As part of the company’s 2024 investment of more than $10 million to expand manufacturing capacity, new needle and syringe production lines have been installed at the BD plants in Connecticut and Nebraska. One line is already fully operational; additional lines are expected to start up in the coming months.
Syringe production to increase by more than 50%
BD said in the announcement that these new lines will boost its capacity of domestically manufactured safety-engineered injection devices by more than 40% and conventional syringes by more than 50%, adding hundreds of millions of units annually to support critical US healthcare delivery to patients. In addition, BD has hired more than 215 full-time employees at its facilities in Nebraska and Connecticut to support the increased production.
BD also plans to invest more than $30 million this year to expand manufacturing capacity for IV lines at its plant in Utah to support continued growth in catheter solutions. This follows the company’s 2024 investment of more than $2 million for IV line improvements that resulted in increased IV catheter output by more than 40 million units annually.
“Domestic manufacturing is crucial for ensuring a resilient supply of essential healthcare devices,” said Eric Borin, president of Medication Delivery Solutions at BD, in a prepared statement. “By expanding our production capacity, we are not only meeting the critical needs of patients and providers, but we also are reinforcing our commitment to the nation’s healthcare infrastructure.”
One of the world’s largest users of plastic injection molded parts
BD has a storied 120-year history of medical manufacturing in the United States. Its Columbus, NE, plant opened in 1949, and today spans 1 million square feet and employs more than 2,000 people across three locations. In 2017, it announced an investment of $60 million to turn the facility into a “plastic injection molding manufacturing center of excellence.” At the time, BD said the investment would allow it to bring outsourced injection molding in house. BD reportedly is one of the largest users of molded plastic products in the world, using more than 700 billion units annually in its medical devices.
Its plant in Canaan, CT, opened in 1961, and today spans 385,000 square feet and employs more than 540 people.
Preventing plastic syringe shortage
These sites are the only remaining large-scale syringe manufacturing plants in the United States. They gained particular prominence at the beginning of last year when FDA cautioned against the use of plastic syringes made in China because of a number of quality issues, including leakage and erroneous doses of medication. Amid concerns of a possible syringe shortage, BD announced that it increased domestic production of plastic syringes at the two facilities.
The BD site in Sandy, UT, opened in 1956 and employs approximately 1,200 associates with 650,000 square feet of operations. It is the largest producer of IV catheter lines in the world, said BD.
BD operates more than 30 manufacturing and distribution facilities in the United States, which represent an important part of the backbone of the US medical product supply chain, the company added. These facilities employ more than 10,000 people and are spread across 17 states and Puerto Rico.
Written by: Norbert Sparrow, Plastics Today