Start with a Location...

EDITOR'S PAGE

For medical device executives, business planning is an ongoing challenge. Whether the period of concern is a quarter, a year, or a decade, company leaders need to be informed about a wide variety of subjects in order to evaluate and select the strategic options that are best for their companies.

Among all these considerations, deciding where to base a company and its operations is certainly one of the most important. And the number of options to be considered is growing at a rapid pace. In this issue, the article "Aligning Regional Incentives with Medtech Needs," by Melvin L. Billingsley and Michele M. Washko, offers some help in sorting through the challenges of dealing with economic development agencies that don't always understand the needs of medical device manufacturers.

In today's marketplace, the site selection options to be explored must also include possibilities on a global scale. In March, for example, GE Healthcare president Joe Hogan—the subject of this issue's cover story—announced that the company would be expanding its operations and employee base in India, in part to make use of the country's large supply of engineering talent. In this issue's article titled "Harnessing International Opportunities", authors Ames Gross, Natalia Scomparin, and Jerrold S. Seeman explore a range of considerations for companies seeking to follow the path to globalization by expanding their footprint in Asia, Latin America, or Europe.

For all its complexity, however, the process of selecting a location and getting settled is only the first step in establishing a medical device operation. Growing the company's business almost inevitably involves company leaders in intellectual property management, sales and marketing development, and legal issues related to company activities—all of which are discussed in articles in this issue.

As always, MX is pleased to offer a lineup of articles with advice to help company executives plan and execute sound business strategies—now and in the future.

Copyright ©2007 MX