ECI (formerly known as CRx Life Sciences) to Build State-of-the-Art Packaging Testing Lab in Costa Rica

·         The facility is expected to begin operations in January 2025 and be fully certified by June of the same year.

·         The company will open 15 new specialized positions with the first phase.

Alajuela, August 8, 2024. The American company ECI (Enhanced Compliance Inc.) announced this morning the construction of a state-of-the-art, ISO 17 025 certified packaging testing laboratory in Costa Rica. This international standard certifies that the facility has an acceptable quality management system and the competence to provide reliable testing results.

With an investment of several millions of dollars, the new laboratory, located in the Coyol Free Zone, in Alajuela, will close a critical gap in technical research and development services, by reducing the time and costs associated with currently sending product to suppliers in the United States. This center will strengthen Costa Rica’s position as a key country in the life sciences industry. The sectors to benefit include medical devices, pharmaceuticals, biotechnology, nutritional and dietary supplements, and cosmetic products.

“The opening of this laboratory reflects a significant investment in infrastructure and strengthens Costa Rica’s ability to offer high-quality technical services locally. This will improve efficiency and reduce operating costs for companies in the sector. Thanks to the talent of our people and the trust of our clients, this modern facility will make ECI a strategic ally for exporting companies, generating quality jobs and strengthening our position in the global market,” said Juan Carlos Rodriguez, Director of Operations for LATAM, ECI.

This announcement aligns with ECI’s expansion strategy, which includes a recent rebranding carried out in May. This transformation combined Enhanced Compliance, Inc. and its subsidiary CRx Life Sciences into a single entity under the ECI umbrella. This rebranding reinforces the company´s commitment to innovation and continuous growth in the life sciences industry.

“The unveiling of our newest plans to build a state-of-the-art packaging testing lab in Costa Rica reinforces our commitment to the great country of Costa Rica, our LATAM clients, and our dedicated employees to continue our mission to be the global leader for the provision of professional consulting services and shared business process solutions for the life sciences industry. By identifying the lack of packaging testing support that our clients in Costa Rica are currently experiencing and accelerating our expansion plans focused in this service sector, we strive to be our client’s first choice as a trusted advisor by offering transformative solutions with distinctive sustainable long-term value. We are incredibly proud of the growth we have experienced in Costa Rica since 2019 and look forward to continued success and opportunities for future expansion”, added Brijesh Patel, CEO, ECI.

ECI anticipates that the first phase of the new 1,300 m² laboratory will begin operations in January 2025 and obtain full certification by June of the same year. From there, it will offer technical services, research and development, manufacturing engineering, regulatory compliance, among others, adjusting to the specific requirements and demands of the industry.

In this first stage, the company also announced the opening of 15 new positions among laboratory technicians and related engineers. Interested parties can request details at hr_cr@eci-rx.com

“The construction of this laboratory reaffirms the confidence that both national and foreign investors have in Costa Rica, supported by the government’s commitment to fostering a favorable business climate. It also highlights the significance of the robust ecosystem we’ve developed—an ecosystem that values Costa Rican talent and human capital. We remain dedicated to removing bottlenecks and bureaucratic hurdles to ensure an even more conducive environment for the productive sector”, explained Francisco Gamboa, Minister of Economy, Industry, and Commerce (MEIC).

“This new and modern facility will make ECI a strategic ally for many of the companies that make up our main export sector, strengthening the already established life sciences cluster in our country and generating new quality employment opportunities for Costa Ricans. The Life Sciences Sector continues to grow, and we are confident that our country’s value proposition will attract more companies from the sector to set up in the country”, said Laura López, CEO of the Trade and Investment Promotion Agency of Costa Rica (PROCOMER).

“One of the goals that Coyol Free Zone promotes locally is to offer high-quality services to strengthen the Life Sciences ecosystem that we host. This allows for greater efficiency, as well as reduction of costs and operating times, by not resorting to suppliers outside the country. In addition, it translates into investment, economic growth, and generation of local quality jobs that make us increasingly specialized and efficient to meet the needs of the industry,” said Carlos Wong, managing director of CODE Development Group, co-developer of Coyol Free Zone. 

The dynamism of the life sciences sector is driven by original equipment manufacturers (OEMs) and suppliers of specialized products and services, such as ECI. Currently, and according to data from PROCOMER as of May 2024, the medical devices sector leads the country’s goods exports, representing 42% of total goods exports.