The American company Abbott Vascular has moved its business from Ulestraten near Maastricht to a new logistic centre on the Trilandis Industrial park in Heerlen. The new location will become the company’s new international distribution centre for vascular products and will service hospitals in Europe, Africa, Middle-East and Asia. Abbott Vascular, a division of Abbott, is one of the world market leaders in products to treat blood vessel disorders. The new location will enable the company to optimize its logistic processes and accommodate the anticipated growth.
In addition to the new establishment in Heerlen, Abbott has a location in Zwolle, where the worldwide planning centre is located. Here, the administration, planning, purchasing, import and export of Abbott’s products are carried out. In Breda there is a modern storage and distribution centre for medical nutrition and medicines. Together with the Heerlen establishment, around 500 employees are occupied with storage and distribution of Abbott’s medical products from the Netherlands to 175 countries worldwide. The international healthcare company with its headquarters in Chicago has been active in the Netherlands since 1952 and has grown to become one of the largest healthcare companies in the country, with 10 establishments and more than 2100 employees.
“I am happy that Abbott’s logistic heart is being built in the Netherlands", said Maxime Verhagen, Ministry of Economic Affairs, Agriculture and Innovation. ”It shows that the strategy of investing specifically in the top sectors of our economy, in which a company such as Abbott belongs, is successful. It results not only in increased income and jobs, but also in new products and services which enable us to take up the social challenges of our time."
Norbert Keller, general manager of Abbott Vascular in Heerlen: “The Netherlands are an attractive country for Abbott because of the strategic location near international harbours and airports and the stable political and financial climate. In Heerlen we are close to all transport services. That means that we can deliver orders to our customers quickly.”
Abbott Vascular was originally located in Ulestraten (near Maastricht). During the construction of the new building in Heerlen many environmental considerations have been taken into account; there are triple insulated windows, underfloor heating, and an energy saving ventilation system and the lighting uses only LED lamps. To reduce the impact of packaging materials and transport as much as possible, Abbott is continually aware of the optimalisation of its logistic processes. These initiatives all form part of Abbott’s worldwide involvement in protecting the environment.