KUALA LUMPUR (Aug 14): US-based Insulet Corp, a medical device company, has officially opened a 400,000 sq ft manufacturing facility on a 13-acre site in Johor Bahru to produce its Omnipod brand of products primarily for diabetes. 

According to a press statement issued on Wednesday, the newly opened facility, which was completed in 2023, is twice the size of Insulet’s highly automated manufacturing facility in Acton, Massachusetts, which is where the company is headquartered.

On the opening of the new facility, Insulet president and CEO Jim Hollingshead said, “Insulet’s remarkable growth is driven by our market-leading Omnipod 5, the first and only tubeless automated insulin delivery system in the US. Our new state-of-the-art manufacturing facility in Malaysia positions us strategically to stay ahead of the huge demand for Omnipod, ensuring our customers have uninterrupted access to our products from this thriving region with great talent.”

The statement added that currently, there are more than 350 full-time Insulet employees working at the new facility with plans to grow to more than 1,000 in the coming years, which is part of a US$200 million (RM889.59 million) investment plan in the area.

In addition to that, the new manufacturing facility was designed with sustainable elements to achieve both Green Building Index certification and Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) Silver certification, which is part of Insulet’s global efforts to minimise its environmental impact in the areas where it operates.

The statement added that the new facility has more than 5,700 solar panels that generate approximately 15% of the building’s power needs. To reduce the water consumption of local water sources, an underground rainwater harvesting system, comprising three rainwater capture units, was built with the capacity to satisfy 30% of the landscaping water needs. Additionally, energy-efficient equipment and construction materials were used as hardscape materials to reduce heat island effects.

Commenting on the new facility, Johor State investment, trade and consumer affairs committee chairman Lee Ting Han said, “The manufacturing facility is up and running with a local workforce that has been upskilled and trained. This investment by Insulet will have a profound impact on the local economy for many years to come as they grow globally.”