• Growth that continues to drive the construction sector and lead exports of medical devices in Costa Rica.  

Alajuela, January 29, 2025. The dynamism in the manufacturing and exports of medical devices in Coyol Free Zone is an engine for the generation of quality jobs, economic development and foreign direct investment in the country.    

In 2024, this industrial park added more than 10,000 square meters of industrial buildings to meet the growth needs of companies which decided to invest and reinvest in the country to successfully develop their operations. Additionally, this Free Trade Zone, with 18 years of experience, added another 10,000 square meters of construction in internal improvements to the buildings.  

With this growth, Coyol Free Zone reaches a total of more than 300,000 m² of constructed industrial buildings that allow the operation of 34 Life Sciences, Semiconductor and Smart Manufacturing companies. It also has two construction projects underway. 

Carlos Wong, Managing Director of CODE Development Group, co-developer of Coyol Free Zone, assures that “The park has been a pioneer in offering first class solutions and promoting the development of highly qualified human talent. In addition, it constitutes the most robust ecosystem of suppliers and contractors for the Life Sciences industry, providing quality employment and promoting an important productive chain with advanced local suppliers”. 

Companies such as ECI (formerly CRx), Resonetics, Thermo Fisher Scientific, Freudenberg Medical and Theragenics continue to rely on Coyol Free Zone’s value proposition, making significant investments and reinvestments. 

Resonetics, specialized in the development of key solutions for the Life Sciences industry, opened its second manufacturing plant in Coyol Free Zone in August 2024, in order to strengthen the company’s manufacturing and technological development capabilities in the country. This represented an investment of US$10 million.  

The U.S. company ECI (formerly CRx), with its state-of-the-art packaging testing laboratory, will strengthen the ecosystem and global value chains in the medical device sector, as well as create local research and development opportunities in Costa Rica. 

In turn, Thermo Fisher Scientific, based in Coyol Free Zone since 2019, is looking to expand capabilities for its customers around the world with its state-of-the-art 2,325 m² building. 

 

Theragenics, a leader in cutting-edge medical solutions, opened its new $10 million medical device manufacturing plant for the manufacture of specialized needles, guide wires and related components. The company expects to create more than 500 new jobs.   

“We are thrilled to officially open this state-of-the-art facility,” said Mark Pugh, General Manager of Theragenics Corporation. “The dedication and hard work of our team has brought us to this point ahead of schedule. This plant will play a vital role in supporting the global medical device industry by enabling the production of complex and innovative devices that improve patient outcomes.”  

Another success story is Freudenberg Medical, which announced the construction of its second building in Coyol Free Zone in 2024, with a footprint of 5,000 m² and an investment of more than US$25 million.  

Sustainable Buildings  

Coyol Free Zone has an area of 106 hectares, of which more than 100,000 m² are buildings under sustainable construction parameters with the LEED (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) certification scheme, internationally recognized by the U.S. Green Building Council (U.S. Green Building Council).  

This certification evaluates criteria such as efficiency in energy consumption, water, alternative energies, quality of the internal environment, choice of materials and waste management in the construction process.   

“At Coyol Free Zone we have a team of engineers highly specialized in the construction of industrial buildings, meeting rigorous global standards that guarantee the construction quality required by the Life Sciences sector,” reiterated Wong.   

About Coyol Free Zone  

Coyol Free Zone is the leading medical device export park in Costa Rica, with exports of over US$2 billion per year, which is equivalent to 30% of the exports of the manufacturing segment of the country’s Free Zone Regime.   

Coyol Free Zone was named the Best Free Zone in the Americas for the fourth consecutive year, and recognized in the Top 10 Free Zones in the World, as well as the Most Sustainable Free Zone in the Americas by fDI Intelligence in 2024.  

It is also the Best Free Trade Zone in Latin America and the Caribbean for the fourth consecutive year, the Most Innovative Free Trade Zone of the Year and the Best Business Center for Life Sciences and Advanced Manufacturing, according to The European magazine.