Matrix Plastics (Slough / UK; www.matrix-plastics.co.uk) has established a new and separate business that will provide medical compounding services to manufacturers worldwide. The plastics compounder, which has worked in the medical sector for many years on applications such as oxygen masks, tubing, ventilation equipment, surgical equipment and medicine dispensers, said the move was a significant business development initiated in response to the growing demand for strictly controlled medical equipment.

“We’ve been working with medical customers for a long time, but it’s becoming more and more evident that the stringent quality and process control demands of the medical sector need to be met with even higher quality standards when it comes to material processing and manufacturing,” Matrix MD Nigel Batt said. “Following significant investment, we now pride ourselves on being the UK’s first ‘cleanroom’ medical plastic compounding facility with a sterile manufacturing environment and impeccable hygiene standards.”

Operating from a purpose-built facility adjacent to the company’s main site in Slough, Matrix Medical Plastics (www.matrix-plastics.co.uk/medical-plastics) began operations at the end of October 2020. Matrix noted that all colour compounds and masterbatches produced at the strictly controlled facility are in accordance with the “Good Manufacturing Practices” of the WHO and US FDA. The company also provides full laboratory testing for a wide range of microbiologies and chemistries.

According to US market researcher Grand View Research (San Francisco, California; www.grandviewresearch.com), the global medical plastics market is forecast to grow at a compound annual growth rate of 8.7% (based on revenue) from 2020 to 2027. Rising demand is being driven by several factors, including the current Covid-19 pandemic, an expanding ageing population, the growth of the home healthcare sector and polymer-based technology innovations.