A Bartlett-based medical device manufacturer is expanding with a $10.5 million investment that will create 40 jobs.
Engineered Medical Systems LLC plans to add 57,000 square feet of manufacturing and office space to its existing 47,500-square-foot facility at 3325 Appling Road, where it makes surgical instruments, implants and other specialty medical devices.
EMS executives and state officials announced the expansion Friday, May 18, with construction slated to begin in the third quarter.
“EMS has developed tremendous partnerships with world leading biomedical OEMs,” president and CEO Ben Smith said in a statement. “We have built an extraordinary team of managers, engineers and machinists that have enabled us to respond to the challenging demands of our industry. Our Bartlett facility has been foundational for housing our operations over the past 15 years. We look forward to expanding our footprint in Bartlett and leveraging our capabilities and service offerings in the dynamic biomedical market.”
EMS, founded in 2003, built its Bartlett facility in 2005 on the southwest corner of Appling and Brother Boulevard.
Tennessee Department of Economic and Community Development Commissioner Bob Rolfe highlighted the state's robust medical equipment manufacturing industry, stating Tennessee companies exported more than $3.3 billion in medical equipment and supplies in 2017.
The Memphis area has been particularly attractive for device companies because of its logistics distribution channels. Employment in the Memphis medical device industry has grown 50 percent since 1999, more than four times the national rate of growth.
A Greater Memphis Medical Device Council study released in November 2015 reported device makers employed 6,500 workers directly and another 10,000 indirectly in greater Shelby County, creating an economic impact of $2.7 billion.