Octex: Sarasota Manufacturer Plans To Add 80 Jobs

Octex LLC, a manufacturing company in Sarasota that specializes in injection molding, is planning to expand its current facility and create 80 jobs over the next five years. The company has grown and found success in medical product manufacturing. Octex also serves customers in other fields including, aerospace and consumer products. With all of the success the company has experienced there is a need for add to the company's current 33,000-square-feet facility.

"We are adding 26,000 square feet to our current facility," says Vincent Cataldo, sales manager for Octex. "We hope to break ground soon and have the expansion completed by the end of the year."

Octex was founded in 1990 and currently has 61 employees; however that number is expected to increase greatly. "We expect to create 80 jobs in the next few years," Cataldo says. "We will be hiring individuals to work in administration and manufacturing."

In July 2010, Octex became certified as an ISO 13485 Medical Device-Quality Management System approved company. The certification allowed Octex to expand its customer base and supply injection molded medical components to various medical device manufacturers in the U.S. and around the world. The expansion into this niche market has helped drive the company's growth to where it is today.

The company is receiving aid to help with the expansion in the form of a performance-based incentive grant of $200,000 from the Sarasota County government. The Economic Development Council of Sarasota helped Octex by consulting and advising the company about various programs to help facilitate the expansion project.
 
Writer: Kimberly Patterson
Source: Vincent Cataldo, Octex, LLC