Mainebiz

W W W. M A I N E B I Z . B I Z 21 J U LY 2 7 , 2 0 2 6 F O C U S R E A L E S TAT E / C O N S T R U C T I O N / E N G I N E E R I N G Across all its divisions, the company has over 20,000 full-time equivalent employees at business units in forestry and forest products, agriculture, construction and equip- ment, consumer products, food, retail and distribution, shipbuilding an industrial fabrication and transporta- tion and logistics. Earlier this year, another J.D. Irving Ltd. subsidiary, Atlas Structural Systems, opened a factory in Lewiston. Atlas is one of Maine's largest suppli- ers of pre-engineered trusses, prefabri- cated roof, wall and floor panels. Atlas has 11 production facilities in Atlantic Canada. e Lewiston facility is its first in the U.S. Occupying 44,000 square feet at 1750 Lisbon St., production started in April for the design and manufacture of engineered trusses and prefab- ricated wall, floor and stair panels. It's expected the facility will employ close to 45 people. 'Localization' strategy Global medical device manufacturer Mölnlycke Health Care is more than doubling its wound care manufactur- ing capacity at Brunswick Landing. Construction began in June on a 78,000-square-foot addition to its existing 64,000-square-foot factory. Portland-based SMRT Architects & Engineers designed the addition. Landry/French Construction is man- aging the project, which is part of Mölnlycke's investment of over $135 million in Maine manufacturing. e 176-year-old company, head- quartered in Gothenburg, Sweden, manufactures advanced medical dressings to improve patient quality of life, whether through their healing journey or by preventing pressure wounds from occurring. It operates 16 factories in 11 coun- tries around the world. Its two fac- tories in Maine — in Wiscasset and Brunswick — are where it produces a majority of its wound-care products for its rapidly growing U.S. market, which generates 30% of the compa- ny's $2.3 billion in annual sales. Wiscasset produces the critical absorbent foam material that gives dressings their fluid handling proper- ties, which is then incorporated into finished products in Brunswick. While most devices are produced for hospitals and acute care facilities in the U.S., some of the dressings are sold at CVS and Walgreens stores. Operating at Brunswick Landing since 2013, Mölnlycke is one of the business park's largest employers. e company employs 130 in Brunswick and expects to add 30 jobs there with the full build-out, which is expected to be operational by late 2027. Another 140 people work at its Wiscasset site. e expansion addresses increas- ing U.S. customer demand and is key to Mölnlycke's localization strategy, aimed at producing products where they are sold, says Dino DeSanctis, Mölnlycke's financial director. Plans include a white roof and a rooftop solar array, designed to help mini- mize heat transfer to stormwater runoff before it reaches the water- shed, while generating clean, renew- able energy that reduces reliance on fossil fuels. Machinery installations will include digital features that will accommodate artificial intelligence and automation capabilities as they evolve, says Nick Darak, Mölnlycke's technical manager. C O N T I N U E D O N F O L L OW I N G PA G E » Maine's Oldest Bank Proudly Building Up Local Communities Since sbsavings.bank 207.284.4591 Justin Chenette, Chief Communications Officer, Sweetser | Tom Quentin, Vice President, Finance & Operations, Paquin & Carroll Insurance | Jayne Van Bramer, President & CEO, Sweetser | Steph Paquet, SVP/Director of Risk Management, SBSI | Tammy Tracy, AVP/Loan Officer, SBSI | Meg Palmer, Community Engagement Officer, SBSI | Katrina Desjardins, VP/Market Relationship Manager, SBSI at the Sweetser Groundbreaking Ceremony in Saco, ME. 1827 R E N D E R I N G / C O U R T E S Y O F S M R T Construction began in June on medical device manufacturer Mölnlycke Health Care's 78,000-square-foot addition, part of the Swedish company's investment of over $135 million in Maine manufacturing.

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