Machine Solutions Makes a Bid for Attention

Medical technology will meet the Internet this June during the Medical Design & Manufacturing (MD&M) East 2000 Conference and Exposition. Machine Solutions Inc. (Flagstaff, AZ) plans to auction the Torminator stent-crimping machine on the eBay Web site. The auction will coincide with the MD&M trade show in New York City, June 6–8.

This stent-crimping machine will be auctioned on eBay during the MD&M show in June.

Machine Solutions specializes in custom machine design for the catheter industry. Daniel Kasprzyk, president of Machine Solutions, came up with the idea for auctioning the Torminator in January at MD&M West in Anaheim, CA. The company received many requests for the product at the show. As a small company, Machine Solutions typically builds units only after an order is received, resulting in a manufacturing lead time of four to six weeks. By building the machine and then auctioning it off, the company can shave weeks off of delivery time, satisfying requests for the Torminator at a faster rate.

The eBay auction also provides another avenue for the company to inform OEMs about the Torminator. "We were looking for creative ways to get the word out on the product," explains Kasprzyk. Between the MD&M shows and the Internet, it looks like Machine Solutions will achieve its goal. —Jodi Triplett