Olympus Grand Opening of National Service Center East: Great for Region and Industry

State-of-the-art facility in Bartlett, TN projected to create approximately 280 new jobs

Grand Opening celebration for the new Olympus National Service Center East in Bartlett, TN. Pictured from left to right: Dan Scalzo, Vice President, Service Engineering & Repair, Olympus Surgical Technologies America; Eddie Garces, Vice President, Repair Operations, Olympus Surgical Technologies America; Todd Usen, President, Medical Systems Group, Olympus Corporation of the Americas; Akihiro Taguchi, Senior Executive Managing Officer, Olympus Corporation; Bob Rolfe, Commissioner, Tennessee Department of Economic and Community Development; Joe Doherty, President, Olympus Surgical Technologies America; the Honorable A. Keith McDonald, Mayor, City of Bartlett; Nacho Abia, President and CEO, Olympus Corporation of the Americas

BARTLETT, Tn., (March 7, 2018) – Olympus, a global technology leader in crafting innovative optic and digital solutions for medical and surgical procedures, announced today the grand opening of its expanded Bartlett campus, including its new National Service Center East and medical asset warehouse/distribution center. An investment of more than $12 million, the two-story, 110,000-square-foot facility officially commenced its operations in October 2017, and is projected to create approximately 280 jobs in disciplines such as medical device repair, distribution, and management.

Dignitaries who gathered for the grand opening celebration on March 6, 2018 included Bob Rolfe, Commissioner, Tennessee Department of Economic and Community Development, and the Honorable A. Keith McDonald, Mayor, City of Bartlett. Leadership from Olympus included Nacho Abia, President and CEO, Olympus Corporation of the Americas; Akihiro Taguchi, Senior Executive Managing Officer, Olympus Corporation, Tokyo, Japan; Joe Doherty, President, Olympus Surgical Technologies America; and Todd Usen, President, Medical Systems Group, Olympus Corporation of the Americas. The celebration featured a Kagami Biraki ceremony—a Japanese custom for celebrating new beginnings—a ribbon cutting, a tour of the facility, and remarks from Olympus executives, and Comissioner Rolfe and Mayor McDonald.

“This Olympus facility represents one of the most significant jobs commitments made by a company to the region in nearly 20 years,” said TNECD Commissioner Bob Rolfe. “We’re pleased that a global leader in medical devices has recognized the substantial strengths of the area and its people.”

The new facility is an expansion to Olympus’ existing R&D and surgical manufacturing building on Appling Road which has been operating in Bartlett, TN since 1984. The now expanded campus marks the beginning of a new era for Olympus by further aligning its medical repair and manufacturing capabilities in one location and positioning the Company for long-term growth. In total, the entire campus is expected to provide more than 500 jobs in the community and support one of the largest concentrations of medical device growth in the country.

In 2016, Olympus announced plans to expand its operations in Bartlett, TN. The new National Service Center East serves as Olympus’ second national service center, with the company’s first such facility located in San Jose, CA. True to the company’s vision of making people’s lives healthier, safer and more fulfilling, the new facility operates as a service and distribution center for a variety of medical equipment and devices such as endoscopes, surgical devices and generators.

“It’s exciting for us to be able to emulate the amazing work already in progress in our San Jose facility, here in the midst of a growing healthcare industry in West Tennessee,” said Mr. Abia. “Between the shipping advantages, the excellent workforce and the proximity to our customers and our other business operations, this location is ideal in allowing Olympus to serve an ever-growing base of customers committed to innovation in medical diagnostics and treatment.”

“I want to thank the wonderful people of Bartlett, the government leaders and business partners in the region who have made our growing presence here an absolute pleasure,” said Mr. Doherty. “As we add new hires on a regular basis, we are increasingly confident in our decision to make Bartlett a priority for the company: the work ethic, connectedness and can-do attitude are world-class complements to our true-to-life innovations.”

Olympus’ medical business generates more than 75% of the company’s revenue and develops unparalleled medical equipment that empowers healthcare professionals to more easily and effectively diagnose and treat diseases.

Bartlett was strategically selected for a variety of reasons, including the growing medical device industry in the area, significant advantages in shipping logistics, and its close proximity to a large number of customers in the eastern U.S. Furthermore, expanding next to Olympus’ existing R&D and surgical manufacturing building aligns the Company’s medical repair and manufacturing capabilities, better enabling world-class service to healthcare customers every day.

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About Olympus
Olympus is a global technology leader, crafting innovative optic and digital solutions in medical technologies; life sciences; industrial solutions; and cameras and audio products. Our solutions enable specialists to look inside the human body, further scientific research, ensure public safety and capture images of the world. Throughout our nearly 100-year history, Olympus has focused on being true to society and making people’s lives healthier, safer and more fulfilling every day.

Olympus Corporation of the Americas (OCA)—a wholly owned subsidiary of Olympus Corporation in Tokyo, Japan—is headquartered in Center Valley, Pennsylvania and employs more than 5,100 employees throughout locations in North and South America. For more information, visit www.olympusamerica.com.

About Olympus Surgical Technologies America
Olympus Surgical Technologies America (OSTA) —a subsidiary of Olympus Corporation of the Americas—is a proven leader in the development of devices for many surgical specialties including Urology, Gynecology, Ear Nose & Throat, Respiratory, Energy, and General Surgery. Technology areas within these specialties include diagnostic and therapeutic endoscopes, advanced energy-based hand instruments, sterile single-use devices, and ENT implants. OSTA was created in 2012 to consolidate the North American based R&D and manufacturing facilities following the acquisition of Gyrus ACMI Inc. in 2008. In 2017, Olympus’ medical repair function transitioned to OSTA, aligning the Company’s medical repair and manufacturing capabilities and further enabling world-class service to healthcare customers. For more information, visit www.olympus-osta.com.

OLYMPUS…TRUE TO YOU. TRUE TO SOCIETY. TRUE TO LIFE.