Medtronic Joins Other Companies Seeking Cheaper Places to Do Business

Medtronic Inc., Sonoma County's largest medical manufacturing company, announced Wednesday it is moving much of the remaining production of its artery-clearing devices -- and hundreds of jobs -- to cheaper operations in Mexico and Ireland. The decision virtually ends the decade-long rise and fall of large-scale stent manufacturing in the county, leaving the company with about a fourth of its one-time work force of 3,000.

Research and development of vascular devices, such as the company's drug-coated stent, will be expanded in Santa Rosa, but assembly line production of devices for commercial sale will end by July 2005, officials of the Minneapolis-based company said.

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