Stories unite us. At Merit Medical, we believe understanding where we’ve been helps guide us closer to the vision we’ve shared since 1987: to be the most customer-focused company in healthcare. Since then, we’ve expanded from our headquarters in Salt Lake City, UT, to facilities across the world with a diverse, ever-growing portfolio of products.
As with any great business, we couldn’t have done it alone. Our team is at the heart of what we do. We understand clinician needs and innovate and deliver product solutions that help them improve the patient experience. We’re in the business of building better healthcare.
How did we do it? Here’s the Merit story.
1987
We began more than three decades ago in an industrial park in Murray, UT. Fred Lampropoulos, Merit’s founder and CEO, brought his idea of a stronger, safer, disposable syringe to life—replacing glass syringes currently used in patient care. In 1988, our first syringe hit the market, paving the way for countless medical innovations to come.
1994
To keep up with an increasing demand for our growing portfolio, we opened our first international location, a manufacturing facility in Galway, Ireland. Today, our Galway team continues to thrive. In 2024, they earned the All-Ireland Business Foundation Multinational Company of the Year award in recognition of their dedication.
The year 1994 also saw the opening of Merit Sensor, one of several product divisions that bolster our offerings.
1999
This year marked the opening of our Merit Houston facility. A Center of Excellence, Merit Houston specializes in polymer extrusions and catheter manufacturing.
2000
More than a decade of focus and persistence came to fruition in 2000 with the launch of our first compression device, the RADstat® Radial Artery Compression Device. Since then, we’ve continuously innovated and improved our compression device offerings to provide clinicians with superior options that include the PreludeSYNC EZ™, PreludeSYNC DISTAL™, and SafeGuard® family of products.
2004
As our US presence continued to grow, we added another location through the acquisition of our Richmond, VA, facility. An integral part of our business, it remains an important manufacturing and distribution center, responsible for producing more than 35 million components each year.
2005
Close to home and far away, this year brought big developments. Our Salt Lake headquarters opened a new manufacturing facility. Doubling its existing square footage, the new facility added more than one hundred new production jobs.
We also opened a facility in Venlo, Netherlands, specializing in manufacturing coated wires, and in 2008, followed with a sister location in Maastricht, our EMEA Distribution Center of Excellence.
2010
In 2010, we opened our Paris facility. This expansion gave us state-of-the-art embolic material manufacturing capabilities. Our global capacity for delivering more minimally invasive treatment options to patients increased.
2015
Our Tijuana, Mexico, facility opened in 2015, where our dedicated employees enjoy award-winning cafeteria service, a safe and convenient transportation system, and more. As one of our primary manufacturing and assembly facilities, our Tijuana team plays a critical role in our success. In 2019, Tijuana won the Shingo Prize for operational excellence.
2017
We were proud to welcome Merit Medical Asia to our family in 2017 as one of our chief centers for innovating and manufacturing. Our Asia team has more than 30 years of experience in Critical Care product development; and with its R&D laboratory capabilities, it closely collaborates with government agencies and research institutes. In 2023, Merit Asia was recognized as an Employer of Choice by JobsMarket for their commitment to learning, development, and workplace culture.
2024
Today, Merit is a billion-dollar company that continues to have a positive impact on patient lives worldwide. Our family of approximately 7,000 employees makes this possible by fulfilling the Merit mission to Understand, Innovate, Deliver.
In addition to these milestones, we’re proud of trailblazing products and services like SCOUT® Radar Localization and our THINK™ Education program, all designed to help physicians improve their patient care.
But our story is far from over. Each day, Merit continues to develop new, innovative products to serve patients around the world. Thank you for being part of our journey.