Manufacturing
Failure Isn’t an Option
In today’s world of manufacturing, companies are looking for less expensive ways to make products smaller and faster. Although this is the case for OEMs that integrate printed circuit boards (PCBs) into their products, a required standard of quality keeps medical device OEMs...
Overcoming Concerns about Outsourcing to Asia
Compared with other industries, medical device companies have been relatively slow to move their manufacturing activities to Asia. This is largely due to regulatory, quality, intellectual property (IP), and cost concerns related to doing business in the region. As a...
Buyer Beware: A Quest for Vendor Qualification
Figure 1. The QUEST approach to vendor qualification emphasizes a process that can help OEMs avoid buyer’s remorse. Caveat emptor, the buyer takes the responsibility for the condition of the items or quality of the services that he or she purchases. Prior to the...
Mass Customization in Electrical Connector Design
Connectors often require customization, a process that can be expensive and time consuming. Through mass customization, however, the parts are readily available and waste is eliminated. A common problem with design integration of conventional off-the-shelf medical...
2009 MedTech Snapshot
Manufacturing, business, and regulatory facts are critical for medical device firms to make decisions. The MedTech Snapshot is designed to give device makers a grasp on the current state of the industry. The following pages provide data on the trends that have the greatest...
Web Site Directory
Adhesives and Adhesives Products Dymax Corp. Master Bond Inc.   Contract Manufacturing and Packaging Services Gems Medical Sciences GlobTek Inc. Lyons Minnetronix Okay Industries Phillips Plastics Corp. Proto Labs Inc. R&D/Leverage Vesta Inc.   Electronic Components...
The Smile Goes Digital
As a result of new rapid prototyping and manufacturing processes, the $8.8 billion U.S. dental restoration industry is transforming from a craft into a digital business.1 Just a few years ago, when patients needed any kind of replacement teeth, a dental technician designed what the...
Will Breast Care Guidelines Make OEMs Nervous?
New guidelines from a government-selected panel about when women should get breast cancer screenings generated intense reactions throughout the healthcare industry. Medical device manufacturers, however, have been mostly quiet about the results. The panel released guidelines...
SALARY SURVEY 2009: General and Corporate Management
2009 MedTech Snapshot: International: Commitment to Growth and Reform in China
With a $124 billion healthcare reform plan under way, China is expected to have one of the fastest growth rates for medical devices in the world. The government’s three-year reform plan includes building thousands of hospitals and other healthcare centers, creating significant...