Kentwood's INRAD Inc. launches three new medical devices

By Sharon Hanks

Sales at INRAD Inc. in Kentwood could double this year if three new medical devices are as successful as company officials predict.

Ryan Goosen, president of INRAD, says the company just launched SelectCore, a hypodermic needle with moving parts to remove samples from soft tissue. Another product for taking core biopsies in critical tissue area, PreciseCore, will be introduced within weeks. And a third device, Revolution, a needle used to perform a breast biopsy, will be launched in the spring.

"As they ramp up, that's when we'll have to add bodies," says Goosen, referring to his workforce now of about 20. "It could be a couple of positions at the end of the year. It depends on how many of these things we sell."

He is especially optimistic about the future sales for SelectCore because it combines all of the features of existing products into one device.

While Goosen declined to release sale figures, he noted that the company's products are shipped to about 30 countries worldwide. Everything from design work to manufacturing to assembly and distribution takes place at the Kentwood plant at 4375 Donker Court SE. The plant includes five injection molding machines, three ultrasonic welders and a "cleanroom" for assembly.

Goosen, a mechanical engineer, says they work with physicians to develop products they both want and need. "We'll continue to develop new products where we've had our success," he says.

INRAD began making products in 1981 when it was a part of DLP, Inc. in Grand Rapids. In 1994, DLP and INRAD were acquired by Medtronic, Inc. Three years later, INRAD divested from Medtronic.

Sources: Ryan Goosen, president of INRAD Inc.

Sharon Hanks is the innovations and job news editor at Rapid Growth Media. She can be reached at [email protected].