By Bhanvi Satija and Kashish Tandon

HYDERABAD Feb 25 (Reuters) - Medical device maker

Medtronic ( MDT ) is looking at options to modify its global

manufacturing footprint as part of efforts to mitigate any

impact of U.S. President Donald Trump's tariff plans, a company

executive told Reuters on Tuesday.

The company, whose products range from insulin pumps to

surgical robots, has been closely monitoring Trump's tariff

plans due to its presence in Mexico. The country houses the

device maker's third largest manufacturing facility, according

to its latest annual report.

"We continue to look at ways to optimize our manufacturing

footprint," Medtronic's ( MDT ) Chief Technology Officer Ken Washington

said on the sidelines of the BioAsia conference in the southern

Indian state of Telangana.

Trump imposed 25% duties on imports from Mexico and Canada

that were to go into effect in early February, but then paused

them until March 4, pending negotiations with those two nations.

Medtronic's ( MDT ) Washington did not comment on whether India was

part of the strategy to refine the manufacturing operations. The

company had in 2021 launched its largest research and

developmental center outside of the U.S. in Telangana.

Washington said the company would stay focused on its core

work in a reply to Trump's threats to impose a "25% or higher"

levies on semiconductors and pharmaceutical imports.

"A company like Medtronic ( MDT ) can't survive for 75 years if you

don't learn the skill of navigating the ups and downs, and ebbs

and flows of different political platforms."

Washington said he was focused on the adoption of artificial

intelligence. He expects digital and AI roles to grow and

digital spending to increase, without providing specific

details.

"We have set expectations that everyone should embrace AI as

a way of doing business."