Manufacturer of medical-device parts plans $51.1M expansion, 337 hires

A Fort Wayne-based manufacturer of metal wires and cables for medical devices is planning a $51.1 million expansion of its area operations, which it says could create as many as 337 jobs by 2021.

Fort Wayne Metals intends to construct a two-story, 40,000-square-foot addition to its corporate office building at 9609 Ardmore Ave. and renovate a 60,000-square-foot building at 4202 Piper Drive that it recently purchased for its expansion.

The project will increase production capacity for precision wire and wire-based components for the medical device industry and other applications. The firm’s plans were announced Wednesday morning by state and local economic development officials.

The company plans to hire employees in all areas of the business, such as production and maintenance, thermal pressing, regulatory compliance, environmental safety and business systems.

“Indiana has earned a reputation as one of the world’s leading medical device hubs,” Gov. Eric Holcomb said in a media release. “Every day, Hoosiers are at work developing new life-saving solutions, and I’m excited to see that trend continue with the growth of our life sciences sector and industry-leading firms like Fort Wayne Metals.”

Founded in 1946, Fort Wayne Metals has more than 1,000 employees at its facilities in Fort Wayne, Columbia City and Castlebar, Ireland. Its products are distributed globally and used in various medical device markets, including vascular therapy, cardiac rhythm management, endoscopy, orthopedics, dental, neuromodulation and neurostimulation.

The Indiana Economic Development Corp. has pledged $3.45 million in conditional tax credits and $84,000 in training grants, based on the firm’s job creation plans. The credits are performance-based, meaning they cannot be claimed until workers are hired.

The Fort Wayne City Council is expected to consider granting incentives for the project.