Leading manufacturer Fort Wayne Metals is celebrating two decades of operations at its Castlebar site in County Mayo.

The company, who launched its Castlebar site back in 2002, built the operation from an initial five employees up to a team of 150 people.

A celebratory event was held on Friday 07 October with employees, Minister of State for Trade Promotion, Digital and Company Regulation Dara Calleary TD, IDA Ireland, representatives from the Mayo County Council, academia, customers and global Fort Wayne Metals leadership, honouring the anniversary and the impact Fort Wayne Metals Ireland has had on its employees, the local economy and the Medical Device sector in Ireland.

Fort Wayne Metals Ireland Limited (FWMI) was established in Castlebar in 2002 as a cost-effective manufacturing location for the supply of stainless-steel products into the European Medical Device Industry. Over the last 20 years it has transformed into a highly specialised, innovative manufacturing company offering technical expertise and specialised wire-based solutions to customers. Its' wire products are used mainly in guidewires and delivery systems, retrieval baskets, stents, occluders, catheter reinforcement and surgical suture needles. With a current workforce of 150 employees, FWMI's sales have grown by 17% CAGR since commencement in 2002.

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Fort Wayne Metals is a private, family-owned company, headquartered in Indiana, USA a workforce of 1,400 employees globally.

Chairman & CEO of Fort Wayne Metals Scott Glaze said: "Our facility here in Castlebar, is our only manufacturing site outside the USA. The project has been a tremendous success. Our business here continues to grow from strength to strength and we are confident the operations here will continue to expand, as we embrace new technologies."

Minister of State for Trade Promotion, Digital and Company Regulation Dara Calleary TD, commented: "I'm delighted to join Fort Wayne Metals today to mark the 20th anniversary of their operations in Castlebar. The company has grown to become a significant and valued employer in Mayo and the West, enabling the region to generate a valuable skills base in their area of expertise, supporting the Medical Device industry. The company's demonstrated commitment through reinvestment in the Castlebar site over the past two decades is most welcome. I wish Michael and his team many more years of successful operations here."

IDA Ireland Executive Director Mary Buckley added: "This is an important milestone for Fort Wayne Metals, which has grown from a handful of employees back in 2002 to the strong and successful company it is today, supporting the Medical Device sector. The benefit of its presence in Castlebar, in terms of substantial employment and contribution to the economy of the Mayo and wider community in the West, is considerable. I wish Michael and his team continued success."