A medical manufacturing company based in Arizona has picked Chattanooga for a new facility to make high-performance tubing with plans to create nearly 80 jobs, officials said Wednesday.
Confluent Medical of Scottsdale, Arizona, will invest $8.3 million to manufacture medical tubing, according to Tennessee Gov. Bill Lee.
"Confluent Medical's decision to establish new operations in Tennessee reinforces our reputation as a top state in the medical research and life sciences industry," Lee said in a statement.
The company utilizes its materials science expertise to develop proprietary manufacturing technologies that produce implantable and life-critical medical devices for the world's leading medical device companies.
Confluent specializes in vascular implantable Nitinol, implantable textiles, balloon catheters and complex catheters.
"Confluent Medical is an innovative company that's bringing their manufacturing capabilities to Chattanooga and Hamilton County," said Charles Wood, vice president of economic development at the Chattanooga Area Chamber of Commerce. "They represent a target industry with the capacity to drive growth and innovation across the region."
Wood said the company will locate at 6 Riverside Lane in a site that had held a Mahindra tractor facility at Centre South Riverport.
He said Confluent will start the build-out of the existing structure early next year.
"I think a couple of key advantages that the company saw in Chattanooga included proximity to similar companies, access to customers in the Southeast and Northeast and a strong workforce with manufacturing knowledge," Wood said.
Mahindra earlier had consolidated several facilities, which resulted in the closure of its Riverport site, according to the Chamber.
Doug Hutchison, chief commercial officer for Confluent Medical, said that having a strong medical manufacturing presence in the U.S. is vital to support its health care systems.
"Confluent Medical has found the Chattanooga area an ideal location for us to grow into what we expect over time will be hundreds of jobs producing life-saving medical devices," he said. "The local talent pool of skilled workers is ideal for recruiting for these technical and manufacturing positions."
Bob Rolfe, the commissioner of the state Department of Economic and Community Development, said Tennessee continues to make strides in the life sciences realm.
Contact Mike Pare at mpare@timesfreepress.com. Follow him on Twitter @MikePareTFP.