WILMINGTON — DuPont announced it has expanded its Spectrum plant in the Caribbean to include Tyvek sterile packaging to bolster its supply chain in the western hemisphere.
DuPont acquired the 36,000-square-foot facility in Costa Rica when it bought Spectrum in 2023 for $1.75 billion to double down on the growing pharmaceutical market. The iconic Delaware company added 16,000 square feet to add more production lines for Tyvek pouches, lids and header bags for the medical device industry. The expansion also increased DuPont’s tubing production capacity.
This investment marks the first production of sterile health care packaging in Costa Rica.
“This significantly enhances our robust, growing portfolio of unmatched offerings and capabilities as a trusted supply chain partner to leading global healthcare companies,” Spectrum Senior Vice President and General Manager for Fluids and Flexibles James Chambers said in a prepared statement.
Before Spectrum was acquired by DuPont, it was already manufacturing medical tubing and films as well as commodity pouches and bags at its Costa Rica operations, as well as serving the industrial and food markets. But DuPont’s game-changing Tyvek, a versatile plastic fiber that can be spun in a way to be difficult to tear but easy to cut, has revolutionized medical equipment and personal protection equipment as it is also water and chemical resistant.
DuPont has hired more staff at the Costa Rica plant to add roles in operations, engineering, quality and customer service, though DuPont representatives had not clarified how many roles have been created through the expansion. Spectrum had 75 employees at the plant in 2022.
The jobs created focus on package design, validation for rollstock, bags, pouches and lids, as well as managing the processing capabilities.
Amid trade uncertainties from tariffs, DuPont representatives told Delaware Business Times that the Spectrum Costa Rica site is strategic to support “global customers” that are relocating to the country and the broader Caribbean region, as well as South and North Americas.
It’s also one of the few facilities under the Spectrum name with diversified operations in sterile packaging and assembly capabilities.
