Michigan Auto Manufacturers Partner with Bioscience AssociationMichigan Auto Manufacturers Partner with Bioscience Association

Michigan-based manufacturers continue to cast their sights on the medical device industry as a means of bouncing back from the decline of the domestic automotive industry. The latest effort of the struggling suppliers to diversify into serving the device industry comes in the form of a partnership between The Automotive Industry Action Group (AIAG) and the Michigan Biosciences Industry Association (MichBio). Putting auto manufacturers in touch with Michigan's blooming bioscience sector could help the host of suppliers affected by the auto industry's turmoil to transfer their skills. Although the two industries differ, the expectation is that transferring skills to medical device manufacturing could be an optimal opportunity. "Medical device manufacturing is a complimentary vertical for suppliers that have mastered strict quality certification systems in the automotive industry, which can be readily transition[ed] into other manufacturing industries," according to AIAG.“We are committed to providing our member organizations with the tools and resources they need to manage the economic recovery," says J. Scot Sharland, executive director, AIAG. "Given the current financial condition of the automotive industry, it is imperative that we collaborate with organizations like MichBio to help our members diversify as well as take best practices for quality improvement and apply them in other industries."