Edwards Lifesciences Corp. continued its run as the top employer in Orange County’s medical device industry, according to this week’s Business Journal list.
Edwards and a few other companies helped the 28 largest medical device makers add 975 jobs during the last 12 months, a 7% hike from the list a year earlier.
The companies, which are either based or have major operations in Orange County, combine to employ 14,830 workers here.
This is the third year of growth for the county’s largest medical device makers, following a 3% increase for the companies on last year’s list.
Orange County’s device makers have a range of products, including heart valves, implants, catheters and replacement lenses for eyes.
Ten of the companies on this year’s list added workers, two cut employment and five were flat.
Totals for 11 companies were Business Journal estimates.
Edwards said its local work force totaled 2,449, up more than 11% from last year’s 2,200.
Edwards first took the top spot for jobs in 2009, when it posted a 10% job hike to surpass perennial leader Beckman Coulter Inc. in Brea, a maker of medical testing machines and supplies that was acquired earlier this year by Washington, D.C., conglomerate Danaher Corp. for $6.8 billion.
The company said the growth was primarily related to its transcatheter heart valve, Sapien.
Edwards is awaiting Food and Drug Administration word on whether it can sell Sapien in the U.S. Sapien, which is inserted via a catheter, is one of the most hotly anticipated medical devices in years.
Beckman, which is now No. 2, said its local work force was flat at 1,700 employees. Last year, Beckman’s Orange County employment fell 9%.
Danaher has said some jobs at Beckman’s local operations would result from the deal. It so far has not given a specific number.
This year’s list saw the No. 3 and No. 4 entries change places.
Applied Medical Resources Corp. of Rancho Santa Margarita took over as the No. 3 device maker, thanks to a nearly 36% leap in its local work force to 1,546 local employees. Applied said it added 408 jobs to its work force over the past year.
Privately held Applied, which had some $320 million in revenue in the 12 months through June, makes a variety of medical devices, including catheters, clamps, stents, guide wires and devices used in laparoscopic surgeries.
Applied didn’t respond to a request for comment. In the past, the company has said that the hospital industry’s desire to control costs has led to its growth.
Applied’s surge pushed B. Braun Medical Inc. in Irvine down to the No. 4 spot. B. Braun said its local employment fell about 5% to 1,261 workers.
B. Braun makes devices such as needle-free intravenous equipment connectors and drug delivery systems.
Its job cuts were a contrast to what it said two years ago, when it said it was planning to grow local employment by about 300 jobs over the next six years.
B. Braun, a unit of Germany-based B. Braun Melsungen AG, also has a Westminster warehouse.
The list’s top five is rounded out by Alcon Research Ltd., a unit of eye device maker Alcon Laboratories Inc., which is owned by Novartis AG, a Swiss medical conglomerate. Alcon Research saw its Orange County employee count grow about 1% to 819 workers.
Alcon makes eye devices here and competes with No. 8 Abbott Medical Optics Inc. in Santa Ana.
No. 6 Toshiba America Medical Systems Inc. in Tustin said its local employment was up roughly 1% to 693 workers. Toshiba, part of Japan’s Toshiba Corp., markets computed tomography machines used in medical scanning, among other products.
Medtronic Heart Valves continued at No. 7 on this year’s list. It’s a unit of diversified device maker Medtronic Inc., has an estimated 675 workers in Santa Ana and Irvine.
Locally, Medtronic’s operations include Medtronic CoreValve, which competes with Edwards overseas in the less-invasive heart valve arena.
Abbott Medical is No. 8 on this year’s list, up one spot from last year . Its local work force grew 6% to 620 local workers. Abbott Medical is part of Chicago-area Abbot Laboratories.
The company makes devices used in eye surgeries such as cataract removal and laser vision correction, as well as contact lens care products.
New Products
James Mazzo, the unit’s president, said earlier this year that Abbott Medical plans to introduce some 20 new products through 2014.
“We’re now becoming an R&D machine,” Mazzo said. “Abbott has allowed us to increase our investment in R&D without having to take it from some other place.”
Sybron Dental Specialties Inc., another Danaher unit, is the new No. 9 medical device maker with an estimated 600 workers in Orange and Anaheim. Sybron makes dental products that range from braces and implants to general dentistry supplies.
Irvine patient monitoring company Masimo Corp. is No. 10. Masimo said its local employment rose about 19% to 462.
Masimo could not be reached for comment.
Unlike 2010, there is no newcomer to the device maker’s list.
The largest percentage gain came from No. 18 Endologix Inc., the Irvine maker of devices to treat abdominal aortic aneurysms, or ballooning blood vessels.
Endologix said that its local work force grew nearly 63% to 236 workers. Last year, Endologix came in at No. 24 on the list.
In recent months, Endologix has introduced new products, such as the AFXT Endo-vascular AAA device for treating abdominal aortic aneurysms. Endologix’s chief executive, John McDermott, has said that the company will continue an effort of “expanding and strengthening our sales and marketing organizations.”
