RESEARCH TRIANGLE PARK – EG-GILERO, a Morrisville-based medical device manufacturer, plans to invest more than $4 million and create 60 jobs in Chatham County, adding more finished-device assembly to augment its design, development and manufacturing services.
EG-GILERO will renovate a 40,000-square-foot industrial space in downtown Pittsboro.
EG-GILERO
“We are very excited to be expanding our manufacturing footprint and to be calling downtown Pittsboro our new neighborhood,” said Ted Mosler, president and chief technical officer. “Pittsboro is a hidden gem.”
The company, a contract manufacturer, said it plans to hire engineers, laboratory technicians, operators and other support people to staff the manufacturing facility. The salaries will vary by position, but average $44,317 – more than 20% higher than Chatham County’s average of $36,731.
EG-GILERO’s expansion to Chatham County will be facilitated, in part, by a five-year economic development incentive agreement. It takes into account new tax revenue generated by both real and personal property improvements and authorizes potential grant awards based on a proportion of the property tax. The grant payments occur only when the company has verified meeting its targets for investment and job creation.
Founded in 2002, EG-GILERO designs, develops and manufactures products for the medical device and drug delivery device markets and deals with associated regulatory issues. It’s a division of EG Industries, a global specialist in plastic injection tooling, molding and finishing that has a non-medical operation in Asheboro.
Wilson, Salisbury make top 20 for best small cities to start a business
“Our design and manufacturing capabilities cover a wide range of products, including combination products, plastic disposable devices and electro-mechanical products,” explains Kristin Benokraitis, director of quality and operations, answering emailed questions from the Biotech Center.
She said areas “hot” right now include products for the home care market that do not require a healthcare professional; and “smart” electromechanical devices that include software for collecting and analyzing data. Some of the latter is a result of traditional tech companies such as Apple, Google, and IBM getting into the healthcare market, she explained.
Company involved in a wide spectrum of products
Eli Nichols, director of design and engineering, cites these products as examples of those EG-GILERO either developed or currently makes for such clients as:Anutra Medical: a lidocaine buffering system for the dental market that includes a reusable dispenser, sterile disposable cassette, and a sterile, single-use syringe.
Tobra Medical: a bone dust and specimen collector for surgeons that goes in-line with existing vacuum sources, allowing them to filter and capture bone dust or tissue samples.
Yukon Medical: A series of drug access devices and a chemo safe handling system that allow clinicians to safely access, transfer, and administer drugs, including toxic chemotherapy agents.
MTG: a urinary catheter and accessory device for patients with spinal cord injuries. The products allow paraplegic and quadriplegic patients to empty their bladders by themselves, when they might not otherwise be able to.
Myocardial Solutions: automated MRI phantom heart for use with MyoStrain diagnostic software. MyoStrain quantifies cardiac dysfunction sub-clinically across 48 segments of the heart in a six heart beat MRI scan.
Biotech Center internships successful
The company has had six interns funded through the Biotech Center over the last few years, including a student beginning this summer. Some have been hired following the internship.
“The Biotech Center is a tremendous resource for the RTP area, giving back to the community in ways beyond just the internship program,” said Benokraitis. She added that the company is lucky to have a talented resource pool of engineering students coming out of the local universities.
“The Biotech Center allows our company to employ these students and give them relevant industry experience where they apply what they are learning in the classroom to real-world situations.”
Online pet supply firm Chewy to create 1,200 jobs in Salisbury for distribution center
The company, which currently has about 40 Morrisville-based employees, expects to have the Pittsboro site renovated in about three months and move several projects in as soon as it’s ready, said EG-GILERO Director of Finance Kevin Miller in an interview with NCBiotech.
The Pittsboro site is part of the company’s five-year expansion strategy, Miller said.
“We are excited to solidify our footprint in North Carolina and we seek to grow in other hot areas of the company in the next several years,” Mosler said.
