Haemonetics closing Braintree manufacturing plant

Medical equipment manufacturer Haemonetics Corp. said it will close its manufacturing plant in Braintree, eliminating 320 jobs, and move its operations to Mexico and Asia.

The company said the move will begin in the next 12 to 18 months and eventually result in savings of up to $40 million a year.

The company will expand its current manufacturing plant in Tijuana and build a new factory in Asia. It cited lower costs and a desire to be closer to a growing customer market in Asia.

Haemonetics, which manufactures equipment used in blood collection, also said it’s considering expanding its corporate headquarters in Braintree or relocating elsewhere. The new headquarters would include a “technology center” for product development, and Haemonetics plans to hire 100 engineers and scientists to work there.

“We’d like to stay south of Boston and we’d love to stay in Braintree if that can work out, but we’re evaluating our options on that,” said Gerry Gould, Haemonetics’ vice president of investor relations.

The announcement was made as part of Haemonetics’ fourth-quarter earnings statement, in which it reported revenue rose 34 percent to $249.9 million while net income fell 29 percent to $12.6 million.