How Costa Rica Attracts High-Tech Investment Through Procomer, with CEO Laura López

Costa Rica is quietly becoming one of the most practical case studies in how to win advanced manufacturing without hype. We’re on the ground at the inauguration of a second Zollner facility in Costa Rica, and I’m joined by Laura López, CEO from PROCOMER to unpack what’s really driving the country’s momentum in medical devices, electronics manufacturing, and semiconductors.

We talk about what PROCOMER actually does day to day: promoting Costa Rica around the world, supporting exporters, and helping global companies arrive, invest, and grow. That work shows up in a way you can see and feel on an industrial estate that started with early movers and is now packed with new buildings, expanding operations, and growing opportunity. The big idea is ecosystem building, not one-off wins. When suppliers, logistics partners, and future OEM customers cluster around a manufacturer, the whole supply chain gets faster, stronger, and more competitive.

We also spend time on the part that decides whether growth is sustainable: talent. Costa Rica treats human talent as a main asset, investing in training pathways with universities and technical institutions and even co-financing company training programs so workers gain the right skills for specific industries. Laura shares how that focus connects to the bigger story: exports growing dramatically over the last decade, and increasing sophistication in what the country produces.

If you care about nearshoring, free trade zones, foreign direct investment, and how countries build real manufacturing capability, listen now, share this with a colleague, and leave a review with your biggest question about building a high-tech ecosystem.

EMS@C-Level is hosted by global inspection leaders Koh Young (https://www.kohyoung.com) and Global Electronics Association (https://www.electronics.org)

You can see video versions of all of the EMS@C-Level pods on our YouTube playlist.