Covidien, Coopervision to create 550 new jobs
Gov. García-Padilla offers details of Coviden’s expansion in Ponce. (Credit: La Fortaleza/Jorge Santiago-Rivera)
Medical device manufacturers Covidien in Ponce and CooperVision in Juana Díaz confirmed Wednesday separate expansions that will create a combined 550 jobs in Puerto Rico’s southern region.
The announcements came during morning visits by Gov. Alejandro García-Padilla to both facilities.
Covidien, which currently employs 2,200 people at its Sabanetas Industrial Park campus, is adding 200 new jobs to operate its newly transferred “Tri-Staple” manufacturing line. As a result, the Ponce operation is boosting production at its 315,000 square-foot plant, the governor said.
Meanwhile, CooperVision in Juana Díaz, a subsidiary of The Cooper Companies Inc., is one of the largest contact lens manufacturers in the world. Through Law 73, the government has provided incentives to the company that will create 350 new jobs through the addition of 15 new production lines at a cost of $250 million.
The company currently employs 1,600 people at its southern plant.
“The success of a good economic plan is measured by its ability to create more and better jobs. It is essential to give a strong boost to the economy in the short term, while implementing strategies whose results will be seen in the medium to long term,” the governor said. “The announcements by these companies are showing that we are still a major player in the manufacturing world.”
