Lifesaving medical devices being built in Bedford, Massachusetts

    BEDFORD, Massachusetts (WCVB) -- Massachusetts-based Werfen has been on the cutting edge of saving lives for more than half a century with its blood testing systems.

"We’re a global company, and you’ll find them in hospitals and central labs around the world," Mark Olsen, chief manufacturing officer, said.

Inside a massive 450,000-square-foot manufacturing and testing facility in Bedford, about 1,100 engineers, scientists, software specialists and product support staff are working side-by-side to create critical lifesaving medical device systems.

The systems specialize in analyzing blood samples — specifically how well a patient’s blood clots as well as determining certain gas levels in the blood.

Currently, Werfen systems can be found in hospitals, labs and emergency rooms all around the world. That is a lot of blood being tested by machines that are made in Massachusetts.

"Almost 2 million tests are done every day on our gear," Olsen said.

The Bay State business unit is just one part of a larger global company based in Barcelona, Spain. But the history of this type of technology dates back locally more than 65 years.

"The first gas blood analyzer was developed by a company called Instrument Laboratory in 1959. And that’s the genesis of this company," Olsen said.

Werfen is always on the cutting edge of microscopic innovation. A product recently developed in Bedford can determine if the cells of a patient’s blood sample are intact or damaged while being drawn.

"You can tell a lot about the condition of somebody’s health by the results of their blood tests. So, we are here to help people around the world," Olsen said.

Despite the clinical nature of the hardware being built, the people at Werfen are keenly aware of the human element on the receiving end of their technology.

"This is a business where you can do well while doing good," Olsen said.

Werfen's location in Bedford has quite a bit of history as well. It was once the site where Raytheon developed the Patriot missile system. And if you’re interested, because of the company’s current and future expansion, they are recruiting and hiring new talent.

"We have the best hospitals in the world. We have some of the best universities in the world, turning out tremendous engineers and scientists. Having those folks available to us really helps us to succeed in this business," Olsen said.