Mexico, World’s Eighth Largest Exporter of Medical Devices

Due to the pandemic and other global factors there has been an increase in production
of medical devices in Mexico, becoming the world’s eighth largest exporter of medical
devices and number one in Latin America.

According to Alejandro Paolini, President of the Asociación Mexicana de Industrias
Innovadoras de Dispositivos Médicos (Mexican Association of Innovative Medical Device
Industries, AMID), the COVID-19 pandemic saturated production lines in order to meet
demand for medical products in hospitals and for at home patients.

This extraordinary challenge meant restructuring production lines, as demand for
medical equipment and related products (personal protective equipment, face masks,
face shields, surgical clothing, diagnostic tests, oxygen concentrators, ventilators,
oximeters and imaging equipment) for coronavirus diagnosis and treatment increased
tenfold.

Mexico is currently the eighth largest exporter for medical devices in the world in terms
of production and exports, and number one in Latin America. Therefore, Paolini believes
that the takeaway from the last few months is the importance of medical equipment and
innovative technologies used in companies. They believe that, in order to be prepared to
meet demand in times of a health emergency, companies must make greater,
permanent investments in the technology sector.

According to Global Trade Atlas data published by the National Chamber of the
Pharmaceutical Industry (Canifarma), the value of exports exceeds 8.406 billion dollars.

Rafael Gual Cosio, CEO at Canifarma, believes that Mexico has extremely important
medical equipment manufacturing plants which have been a steppingstone for Mexico
to consolidate its participation in this sector thanks to technological development, skilled
labor, and its geographic location.

The Medical Device Industry in Mexico

AMID is composed of 39 medical device companies with 40 manufacturing plants in
Mexico, mainly set in the north part of the country, employing more than 140,000 people.

The development of this industry in Mexico has seen growth not only in terms of
production but also in terms of the specialization and technological development
involved in the manufacture of products for export.

The majority of the companies in this sector present in Mexico are international
companies adopting new technologies. There are close to 2,500 economic units in
Mexico that specialize in medical equipment and their average annual production rate is
estimated at 4%, with most exports going to the United States.

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