Orangeburg-based Zeus builds production facility in Minnesota

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Orangeburg-headquartered Zeus, a global supplier of advanced polymer solutions, is nearing the end of construction of a state-of-the-art catheter manufacturing facility in Arden Hills, Minn., the company said in a news release.

The company says the location, scale and on-site capabilities across R&D, design and development will advance catheter innovation and strengthen Zeus's strategic partnerships with original equipment manufacturers and medical device customers.

"The Minnesota facility is an important step in our geographic expansion for several reasons," Steve Peterson, president and CEO of Zeus, said in a news relrease. "The state has a long track record in medical device innovation, and locating closer to customers will support deeper collaboration across early-stage catheter design and development. Furthermore, this facility allows us to scale catheter manufacturing significantly to meet growing global customer and market demand."

Scheduled to open this summer, the 75,600-square-foot facility includes an advanced R&D lab and cleanroom equipped with the latest technologies to design, develop and validate new catheter prototypes in industry-best lead times, the release stated. It also brings additional capabilities in house to Zeus, including laser cutting, ablation and welding. The cost of the investment was not disclosed.

"This facility opens the door to expanding our end-to-end catheter design and manufacturing capabilities, all under one roof. It's a big step for our customers and the industry," Suresh Sainath, general manager for Zeus' catheter solutions division, said in the release. "It also represents a building block for future strategic collaboration between our catheter and polymer customers, enabling industry-defining catheter innovation going forward."

In addition to its proximity to customers, the Arden Hills location was selected for its access to local transportation and amenities for the company's expanding workforce. The new facility is expected to create 100-plus new jobs in the coming years, according to the release. Positions will include engineers, project managers, technicians and product builders.

The company says it is the world's leading polymer extrusion and catheter design manufacturer. Zeus employs more than 2,200 people worldwide with facilities in Aiken, Columbia, Gaston, Orangeburg and St. Matthews in South Carolina, as well as Branchburg, N.J.; Chattanooga, Tenn.; San Jose, Calif.; Guangzhou, China; Letterkenny, Ireland; and now Arden Hills.