Athens medical equipment manufacturer gets healthy $23.5M expansion

ATHENS – Athens medical equipment manufacturer InTech broke ground on a $23.5 million expansion this month.

The investment in the 100,000 square-foot extension on Durham Drive will bring an estimated 30 to 50 jobs to Athens, according to Limestone County Economic Development Association President and CEO Bethany Shockney.

“We are so honored and pleased that InTech has chosen to continue to invest in our community and with this significant expansion, we will continue to support our diversified industrial base to include the medical devices industry,” Shockney said.

David Brackeen, vice president of Operations for InTech, said the expansion will meet the needs of the global orthopedic market by producing more instruments, implants, and robots.

“Over the last several years, Athens and Limestone County haves done a great job of keeping our workforce growing by investing in our children, by promoting and improving the local technical programs to better develop our people, to be ready to enter the workforce with the skills needed,” Brackeen said.

Started in Athens in 1985 as Turner Medical, the company evolved into a medical device precision machining shop. In the mid-2000s, a French company acquired Turner and renamed it InTech, taking it to an international level with 500 employees worldwide.

Limestone County Commission Chairman Collin Daly and Athens Mayor Ronnie Marks congratulated InTech on the growth.

“I would like to congratulate InTech on their recent expansion,” Daly said. “The expansion will bring more good-paying jobs to our county.”

Marks said, “This $23.5 million investment with 30 to 50 jobs to expand InTech’s presence in Athens adds another fantastic chapter to this Athens story.”