Creganna expands its Marlborough presence

Creganna, an Irish company that makes components for medical devices, is doubling the size of its manufacturing facility in Marlborough.

Based in Galway, Creganna estimates that a third of the units it produces are shipped to US manufacturers that make minimally invasive medical devices.

So in early 2007, the company decided to open a 10,000-square-foot facility in Marlborough; that facility is now growing and its workforce is expected to grow from 30 to 50 by the end of the year, Creganna spokeswoman Maura Leahy said.

Why come to Massachusetts, where the cost of doing business is high?

One reason is that both Massachusetts and the west of Ireland are "hubs of the medical-device industry," Leahy said.

Two big local players in the industry, Boston Scientific Corp. of Natick and a unit of Covidien Ltd., headquartered in Mansfield, have facilities in and around Galway, Leahy said.

One forte of Creganna is making components of specialty needles used in conjunction with advanced imaging systems such as ultrasound and MRI.

Needles to draw blood or give flu shots can be mass-produced in South Korea or China, but the needle components that Creganna makes on behalf medical device companies contain a high level of intellectual property and require an advanced level of engineering to manufacture, Leahy said.

And so it makes sense for Creganna, a company that mostly makes comparatively low-volume high-value products, to have a facility near where medical-device companies are doing much of their research, she said.

Leahy added, "We view Massachusetts as a beachhead for expanding in the United States."

As a private company, Creganna does not disclose revenue and other detailed financial information, and because of confidentiality agreements, it does not identify the companies that use its components to make medical devices.

Creganna takes its name from the home town of the company's founder, Leahy said.
(By Chris Reidy, Globe staff)