Originally Published MX November/December 2004

INFORMATION TECHNOLOGIES

Building tomorrow's IT-based medical products won't be easy, but manufacturers will have a lot of help.

Mark Zetter

The group of contract manufacturers known as electronics manufacturing services (EMS) providers has long coveted the business of medical device manufacturers, and in many respects that fit is a good one.

The number of medical devices that make use of sophisticated software and integrated circuitry has been on the rise for more than a decade. Medtech manufacturers can find it difficult to justify full-time staffing for assembly of complex products that are produced in relatively low volumes. And, especially important for EMS providers, this class of subcontracting would seem to hold the promise of good profit margins.