This VP has his eye on reducing risk, but his raison d'etre is really the end user. "Someone you know who has been treated for a disease or health problem has probably used a J&J product—we take that responsibility seriously," he told attendees.

"Medical devices and diagnostics is a changing landscape, that is  complex and the sector has inherent risks," he said. McCarthy was asked by J&J management to prove that PLM helps reduce those risks and helps patients.

So McCarthy showed that design and manufacturing failures account for 50% of quality incidents in medical devices. Of these failures, 50% are from devices in the cardiovascular sector or home use.

One of the solutions J&J's enacted was a move to a "superplant" for manufacturing. Soon, all of Johnson & Johnson products will be manufactured and shipped from one facility. By changing the supply chain and retaining higher levels of control, J&J hopes that patient safety will increase.

It's not an easy venture, to put it mildly. The plan involves bringing more than 70 manufacturing sites under one roof.

This month McCarthy will be presenting his ideas in a Webcast for MD+DI's audience in a Webcast "PLM and the Patient," sponsored and hosted by Dassault Systèmes. I hope you'll join me to get a first hand access to McCarthy, and well as PLM expert, Jean Colombel, vice president of the life sciences industry at Dassault Systèmes.

—Heather Thompson