Christchurch medical device manufacturer Enztec has invested $1 million in new technology at its Sockburn plant and is looking to hire three additional employees.

Christchurch medical device manufacturer Enztec has invested $1 million in new technology at its Sockburn plant and is looking to hire three additional employees.

The company, which designs and manufactures instruments used in orthopaedic surgery, has invested $850,000 on a five-axis milling machine imported from Japan.

The milling machine will boost the company's manufacturing capabilities, Enztec general manager Stephen O'Neill said.

"It's not just extra capacity, it's about flexible capacity."

The new machine would add approximately 25 per cent to Enztec's milling capacity, although that would change as the company took on more work.

Enztec's plant was little affected by the February 22 earthquake.

"Business-wise we were very fortunate, and all our customers are offshore."

O' Neill said the business was committed to Canterbury and was positive about its future here.

"We are pushing on and thinking optimistically."

At the end of 2009 O'Neill said in an interview with The Press that Enztec was then experiencing a slight slowdown in growth, which was something of a relief after three years of accelerated growth.

Yesterday, O'Neill told The Press the company was "back on the growth path again" after having its biggest year last year.

"Europe is very big for us and we are looking to do a lot more in Europe."

O'Neill said the Sockburn premises were becoming "a bit cramped" for its manufacturing processes and its 50 employees – as it is the design team of seven has to work from offices over the road.

As a medical device company, it must clean every instrument to meet medical level quality standards, which means the cleaning process sometimes sets the pace of what it can produce.

With the business on the growth track, Enztec has now invested $170,000 in a tailor-made medical cleaning line from the United States due to arrive in three weeks' time which would be faster and would increase the plant's capacity.

Constant innovation was always a challenge for the company, and its designs, speed and flexibility were what set it apart from global competitors.

"We do design things cleverly and aesthetically," O'Neill said.

For instance, global company Johnson & Johnson were Enztec's competitors as well as customers, as they also produce medical instruments.

"They come to us for the tricky stuff," O'Neill said.

The medical instruments market was still relatively young and the growing incidence of osteoarthritis and obesity would lead to a growth in demand.

"The baby boomer population bubble is really going to push orthopaedics," O'Neill said.

He forecast the company's staff numbers were likely to double within five years, while production would become three times greater.

- The Dominion Post - Original Article