Switchback Medical Expands Operations to Costa Rica

Minnesota-based medtech contract manufacturer Switchback Medical is opening a Costa Rican plant in the country’s Tacares de Grecia business park.

“This expansion represents a more cost-effective device manufacturing solution for both our existing customers and new partners. The Costa Rica facility will function as a high-volume manufacturing center supporting scalable production,” Switchback Medical Vice President of Operations Jesse Jensen said. “In turn, the company will actively contribute to Costa Rica’s life sciences cluster with local manufacturing of complete medical device assemblies, adding to the country’s growing network of medtech companies.”

The company’s new plant will focus on high-volume medical device manufacturing, thereby reaffirming the company’s commitment to efficient, scalable and competitive solutions for its global customers.

“Costa Rica has become a global strategic hub for advanced manufacturing. We have a strong ecosystem to produce medical devices, which continues to attract new manufacturers like Switchback Medical,” Costa Rica Minister of Foreign Trade Manuel Tovar stated. “We want to extend the warmest welcome, thank them for the trust they have placed in our country to grow beyond their borders, and reaffirm our commitment to providing the necessary conditions for the successful development of their new operations.”

Tovar’s comments were echoed by Laura López, general manager of the Costa Rican Foreign Trade Promotion Agency (PROCOMER). “Costa Rica continues to strengthen its value proposition through high-value-added investments in strategic sectors such as medical technology, which has become the country’s main export driver, recording a year-over-year growth of 29% in the first four months of 2025,” she noted. “Switchback Medical’s investment in the country brings technical expertise and capabilities in the development of complex, high-precision medical devices. Its end-to-end approach adds sophistication to the national ecosystem and reinforces Costa Rica’s position as a strategic destination for advanced medical manufacturing solutions.”

Switchback Medical’s new plant will boost its global competitiveness and also generate quality employment and knowledge transfer in the region. The firm joins six other companies that have already confirmed operations in the Evolution Free Trade Zone. All of them are multinational leaders in medical device development and manufacturing.

“We are proud to know that more and more global companies are choosing Evolution Free Zone as their base of operations in Costa Rica. Here they find an ideal environment, with world-class infrastructure, state-of-the-art buildings, skilled labor, and a solid business ecosystem to operate successfully”, said Carlos Wong, managing director of CODE Development Group, the developer of Evolution Free Zone.

Headquartered in Minneapolis, Switchback Medical is recognized for its vertically integrated approach, ranging from design and development to medical device manufacturing. Its contract manufacturing operating model (CDMO) enables it to accelerate innovation, work closely with its strategic partners, and offer agile solutions in healthcare product development.

Costa Rica’s Evolution Free Zone projects to provide more than 20,000 quality jobs over the next 15 years.