Danish healthcare company Coloplast brings production closer to key markets with two new Costa Rican production facilities built with full-service consultancy for civil and building works from Aqvila.

Even for multinational companies, establishing new facilities in a foreign country can seem daunting.

Drawing on extensive experience from a diverse portfolio of projects worldwide, Aqvila A/S has assisted Danish healthcare company Coloplast A/S in building two new production plants in Costa Rica, bringing the company closer to key markets in Latin and North America.

Aqvila has been engaged in the building project from start to finish as a full-service consultant for civil and building works, delivering everything from conceptual design and permit applications to tender documentation and contract management. For overseas projects, it is vital for Aqvila to establish solid and good cooperation with a local engineering partner.

“Identifying high-performing local consultants and contractors that are also team players is crucial. The local partner ensures that the project respects the country-specific rules and regulations and helps the project team adapt to possible differences in business and working culture. Finding the right local partners is one of our core competencies and is vital for project success,” says Tommy Bondorph Olsen, project manager at Aqvila.

The new production facilities of around 20,000 m2 each are situated in Cartago, Costa Rica, and are set up to produce ostomy bags and catheters. In the small, tropical nation, approximately 99 % of the electricity comes from renewable sources like wind, hydropower, and geothermal power. Therefore, the plants are also contributing towards Coloplast’s ambitious goal of 100 % renewable energy in production globally by 2025.

“It has been a challenging and exciting project,” says Tommy Bondorph Olsen, and continues “bringing every part of Aqvila’s broad range of engineering and consultancy competencies into play.” 

“Our mindset sits between consultancy and engineering, and this means that we always have ‘boots on the ground’ and stay close to the practical issues of the building project. This makes it easier to ensure a good relationship between the client, contractor, sub-consultants, and other partners, and to keep the building process efficient even in the face of unexpected events,” says Tommy Bondorph Olsen.

The two facilities are expected to handle around 25 % of global production in Coloplast by 2025. The project has been completed successfully despite disruptions caused by COVID-19 and global supply chain issues.