Cochlear, an Australian medical device company that makes cochlear implants to treat hearing loss, announced plans to build a $38.6 million manufacturing facility in Chengdu, China. Cochlear said it needs to expand before it reaches capacity constraints in its Australian facilities. The company declared the China facility would save only a small amount in manufacturing costs, although Cochlear’s hearing products were not granted China tenders this year, presumably because of price. The tenders were split between Austria’s Med-El at $5490 per device and China’s own Nurotron, located in Hangzhou, at $5916.
