How the Dominican Republic's Integrated Port and SEZ Ecosystem Is Creating a Strategic Advantage for Global Healthcare Supply Chains
NORTHAMPTON, MA / ACCESS Newswire / December 4, 2025 / Why MedTech Supply Chains Are Shifting
Around the world, healthcare supply chains are undergoing rapid change. Medical technology (MedTech) companies that manufacture surgical instruments, diagnostics equipment, and life-saving devices are facing rising tariffs, port congestion, and growing geopolitical uncertainty.
Aerial View of DP World's Caucedo Port and Special Economic Zone
Geopolitical volatility has become a structural supply-chain risk for MedTech. Deloitte's 2025 Life Sciences Outlook survey reveals 48% of MedTech executives saying manufacturing and supply chain risks could significantly impact their 2025 strategy. A Bain and Company 2025 nearshoring survey shows that 80% of COOs plan to increase onshoring or nearshoring over the next three years.
These pressure points are growing. E2open's 2025 Ocean Shipping Index shows that geopolitical tensions, labor shortages, and port congestion are driving significant increases in global transit times. Their reporting revealed that the global average time for ocean shipments in Q4 2024 averaged 68 days, up eight days compared to Q4 2023.
Increasingly, that search for stability and proximity is leading to the Caribbean - and specifically, the Dominican Republic.
A Strategic Manufacturing Gateway Enabled by DP World
The Dominican Republic is demonstrating what's possible when modern logistics infrastructure meets long-term economic planning. At the Caucedo peninsula, DP World is advancing a multimillion-dollar expansion that integrates a deepwater port, logistics hub, and Special Economic Zone (SEZ) into one seamless ecosystem.
This expansion increases terminal capacity from 2.25 million to 3.1 million TEUs and unlocks more than 200 hectares of development-ready industrial land-purpose-built for companies operating in high-value, regulated industries.
This is more than a capacity boost - it represents a port-centric, end-to-end manufacturing model designed for connectivity, reliability, and supply chain resilience. Manufacturers gain direct access to global markets, faster lead times, and the ability to operate within an integrated port-centric environment.
Integrated Infrastructure Designed for Precision
For MedTech producers, fragmented logistics is one of the biggest threats to quality and speed. In traditional manufacturing locations, MedTech supply chains often span multiple cities and service providers. Imports arrive through one port, storage occurs elsewhere, assembly takes place in another region, and exports pass through yet another checkpoint. Every handoff adds time, cost, and risk.
The Caucedo SEZ eliminates that fragmentation.
Within a single, secure environment, manufacturers can:
Manage imports and specialized raw materials
Conduct regulated production and assembly
Maintain rigorous quality-assurance processes
Store components and finished goods in bonded facilities
Export finished products directly through an adjacent deepwater port with minimal handoffs
Digitally connected systems support visibility across every step of the process - including cold-chain logistics, traceability, and customs clearance. This integration reduces errors and delays that can be critical in healthcare. The U.S. FDA acknowledges that early awareness of supply disruptions is essential to mitigating the impacts of medical device shortages that disrupt patient care and put public health at risk - highlighting the importance of tightly controlled end-to-end environments.
Investing in Human Capital for High-Value Industries
A world-class MedTech ecosystem depends on a skilled workforce. Through the DP World Academy and partnerships with universities, technical institutes, and global training organizations, the Dominican Republic is building talent pipelines in STEM fields, manufacturing processes, quality management, and other competencies needed to support regulated industries.
This investment reinforces the country's growing role as a regional MedTech powerhouse. The Dominican Republic already hosts one of the largest medical device manufacturing clusters in Latin America - exports from Dominican Free Zones reached $2.6 billion in 2023, representing over 31% of total export value from these areas. The SEZ expansion is expected to accelerate that growth, while attracting higher-value device assembly and component manufacturing.
A Model for the Future of MedTech Manufacturing
With its integrated SEZ, strong public-private collaboration, and deepening technical workforce, the Dominican Republic is emerging as a new frontier for high-value MedTech manufacturing - and DP World is at the center of this transformation.
In an industry where reliability, traceability, and speed directly impact patient outcomes, supply chain resilience matters more than ever. The Dominican Republic's SEZ ecosystem, enabled by DP World's infrastructure and logistics expertise, offers manufacturers a strategic, connected, and future-ready location to build the next generation of global healthcare supply chains.
Learn more about DP World's Caucedo Economic Zone here.
View additional multimedia and more ESG storytelling from DP World on 3blmedia.com.
Contact Info:
Spokesperson: DP World
Website: https://www.3blmedia.com/profiles/dp-world
Email: info@3blmedia.com
SOURCE: DP World
View the original press release on ACCESS Newswire:
https://www.accessnewswire.com/newsroom/en/business-and-professional-services/dp-world-is-helping-position-the-caribbean-as-a-new-frontier-for-1114819