Selecting A Medical Device Design & Manufacturing Partner - Presentation Transcript
Selecting A Design & Manufacturing Partner: The Keys to Your Medical Device Success Presented by: Jim Rundo Phillips Plastics Representative – OH, IN, & SE MI (216) 956-7574 [email_address]
A Startup Company’s Dilemma…
Does this sound like you?
You have a great idea for a new medical device, and…
You have investor funding to launch your idea, but…
You lack the design and manufacturing resources to get it done
So…
How will you get it designed and manufactured?
An Established Company’s Dilemma…
Or does this sound like you?
You have many medical device programs in your pipeline, but…
A promising new program is proposed by marketing, and…
You find you’re short the resources to tackle this new program
So…
How will you get it designed and manufactured?
Success or Failure Depends on Your Answer
Some startups choose to go it alone assuming they will learn along the way – but this “tuition” is often very expensive:
Lack of regulatory knowledge for medical device design and manufacturing results in costly program launch delays
Delays = a higher chance of company failure
Startups often underestimate the resources required to properly design and manufacture their medical device product:
Inadequate design resources = design gaps which show up during manufacturing where it is more expensive to rectify
Inadequate manufacturing resources = cGMP gaps which could result in non-compliance and regulatory scrutiny
Success or Failure Depends on Your Answer
Established medical device companies face their own challenges:
Putting off a new program represents a lost opportunity which impacts growth and may open the door for a competitive entry
Trying to do too many programs at once often results in costly product launch delays
Hiring new resources may be a poor option, especially if the additional workload cannot be sustained long-term
So … What Are My Options?
Well, you can do it yourself:
Startups can “learn the ropes” (and hope they do it quick enough)
Established companies can redistribute their resources (and hope they don’t fall behind on other programs)
… or…
You can partner with an organization who understands and is experienced your market and can handle your design and manufacturing requirements in a timely fashion
What Are The Advantages of Partnering?
Startups…
… can focus on developing their market and sales channels
… will benefit from the expertise of their partner, who can draw on prior experiences to improve the startup’s product
… can save money by not having to develop their own internal engineering and manufacturing operations
Established companies…
… can respond to quickly changing market dynamics
… avoid adding headcount to their organizations as well as save money by contracting out only the services they need
How do I Choose a Partner?
Take time to learn about the companies which market their medical device design and manufacturing capabilities
Interview potential candidates to gauge their experience and knowledge in handling your type of medical device
Quickly weed out companies not qualified to help you with your business – they will cost you in lost time and added expenses
Always keep in mind that YOU as the marketer of your medical device will always be design responsible and thus have to answer to regulatory bodies regarding your suppliers, so…
The homework you do today will pay off down the road with a successful product launch and good regulatory compliance
Questions to Ask Candidate Companies
Consider building a comparison checklist to benchmark candidate companies. Questions to consider are shown on the next few slides (note not all questions may be applicable to your situation).
NOTE: These questions are not meant to be a substitute for a more thorough on-site audit, which is an important part of the supplier qualification process
Questions to Ask Candidate Companies
General Questions:
What is your current financial condition (credit rating, etc.)?
How long have you sourced to the medical device market?
What are your core competencies?
Are medical markets a focus for your company?
Are you registered with the FDA for finished medical device manufacturing?
Who are some of your key customers (note confidentiality agreements with customers may limit this answer)?
Do you have a global footprint (important for companies considering global sales strategies)?
Questions to Ask Candidate Companies
Design Questions:
Are you ISO-13485 registered, including design control?
What is your experience with risk-based designs?
How do you maintain design history files (DHF)?
What experience do you have with validations?
Can you assist with regulatory filings?
What is the experience level of your design team?
What is your design transfer process to manufacturing?
How do you qualify and monitor your outside suppliers?
Questions to Ask Candidate Companies
Tooling, Production & Distribution Questions:
Are you ISO-13485 registered?
What experience do you have with medical devices?
Tell me about your cGMP compliance activities…
Tell me about your document controls (traceability)…
What experience do you have with validations?
How do you monitor your process capabilities?
What is the experience level of your production team?
Tell me about your distribution management process…
How do you qualify and monitor your outside suppliers?
Who is Phillips Plastics?
A developer and manufacturer of custom injection molded components and assemblies
Strong medical market presence including partner relationships with many leading medical device manufacturers
$225 million annual sales with 1400 associates
Global footprint of 16 design and manufacturing centers totaling over 750,000 sq ft (70,000 sq m) and 200 presses
Domestic (Wisconsin and California)
Asian (Phillips East – China)
European Union (Phillips CerBo – Ireland)
Who is Phillips Plastics?
Our injection molding technologies include:
Resin (includes multishot and in-mold decorating)
Metal and Magnesium
Multishot Liquid Silicone Rubber
Ceramic
Micromolding
Our services include:
Industrial, product and tooling design
Rapid prototyping and prototype tooling
Tooling fabrication
Manufacturing (includes value-add) and distribution
Phillips Plastics’ “Total Solution” Approach
“ Design through distribution” – a complete life cycle approach
Concurrent processes – reduces overall cost and time to market
Our services are available either as a complete package or “a la carte” – use them all or only the ones you need
Startup medical companies face a myriad of challeng more
Startup medical companies face a myriad of challenges getting their company up and running. This is often complicated with the daunting task of setting up multiple functions, including engineering and manufacturing. Established companies also face hurdles when trying to bring multiple new products to market. A lack of resources can stretch even the most experienced companies to the limit. This presentation discusses these challenges, and offers suggestions on how to find and select a partner to guide companies through the process of finding a qualified design and manufacturing partner. less
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