Medical device maker Medtronic was closely monitoring the situation in Puerto Rico and the Dominican Republic on Monday as Hurricane Fiona wreaked havoc on the Caribbean islands.
Medtronic, run from offices in Fridley, has significant manufacturing facilities there. Hurricane Fiona struck Puerto Rico on Sunday, leaving the island without power, before making landfall in the Dominican Republic on Monday.
In addition to thousands of contract workers, Medtronic has about 4,880 employees in Puerto Rico and 4,100 in the Dominican Republic.
After temporarily shutting down operations, a company spokesperson said it restarted the Puerto Rico facilities Monday. Medtronic has four manufacturing sites and one office in Puerto Rico and one production plant in the Dominican Republic.
"No significant damage to facilities in Puerto Rico has been reported," Erika Winkels, a Medtronic spokeswoman, said Monday in a statement. "All Puerto Rico sites are currently operating on generator power and capable of full operations. Facilities expect to restart operations today, provided employees are safe and can report to work."
Medtronic has produced pacemakers and other medical devices in Puerto Rico since the 1970s.
U.S. medical device and pharmaceutical manufacturers, attracted to the lower tax environment of the island U.S. territory, are a significant part of Puerto Rico's economy. A 2020 report from Chicago-based JLL, a commercial real estate firm, and the nonprofit Invest Puerto Rico attributes 25% of the island's GDP over the last four decades to the life sciences sector.
Massachusetts-based Boston Scientific Corp., which has a notable presence in Minnesota, has more than 800 fulltime employees in Puerto Rico.
