Millie Nuno, Vice President of Sales, Hoffer Plastics Corporation07.20.23
In today’s consistently fluctuating medical market, one thing is certain: There continues to be a growing need for reliable custom manufacturing organizations that can help OEMs keep pace with these fluctuations.
Medical product, equipment, and device manufacturers are faced with the need to keep up with trends in artificial intelligence (AI), product security, personalized products, and more. That’s where the right custom manufacturer comes in, playing an increasingly critical role in bringing products to market while ensuring the supply and functionality of current products today.
Following are five fundamental characteristics to look for when choosing a truly customer-centric custom manufacturer.
1. Ongoing Investments in New Equipment and Technologies
Simply put, new advanced manufacturing technologies are critical drivers of innovation. This translates to better products, happier (and healthier) end users, and ultimately, increased sales.
The wherewithal and financial stability of a manufacturing partner to make these investments is critical to its ability to prioritize your success. Beyond fiscal responsibility, partners with a proven track record of agility, strong technical engineering competencies, stringent quality processes, and a true understanding of your business will recognize the investments needed to accelerate your success. And they’ll do so from the lens of your success, not just profit.
These investments—in new injection molding presses, automation, and more—drive increased productivity, enhanced efficiency, and technical excellence to accelerate your ability to get to market cost-effectively and with high-quality products that keep end users safe.
2. Navigating Fluctuations with Ease
If your contract manufacturer is struggling to manage shifts in demand, industry trends, and customer preferences, it’s a sign you may need to look for a more customer-centric partner dedicated to getting ahead of challenges to better take care of you.
When determining who to partner with, there are several clear signs that can indicate the injection molder’s ability to navigate changes in demand, trends, and end user preferences with ease.
3. Thinking Differently About Quality
When manufacturing medical devices, products, and equipment, there is essentially no margin for error. Even in the most “basic” of products, an OEM should expect a non-negotiable commitment to quality. While no injection molder can function without quality, a partner with your best interest at heart will think differently about quality to address issues head-on to deliver the high-quality parts you need on time and on budget.
While certifications like MedAccred and quality assurance/quality control processes are fundamental, an unwavering focus on quality can be felt throughout the life of your program. At every stage of the process—design, tooling, prototyping, injection molding, assembly, and beyond—your contract manufacturer should organize around your business needs (like the Production Part Approval Process or added levels of quality testing) to ensure quality outcomes. A manufacturing partner shouldn’t settle for “good enough”; rather, they should invest in the team and resources that will identify inconsistencies and quickly remedy them.
A model that brings multiple quality teams and experts to the table (at the plant level for dedicated customer work cells and the organization level to maintain quality standards, for example) can be better equipped to identify early, troubleshoot, and prevent issues that range from defective parts to contamination and beyond.
4. Leading with Engineering
If you are searching for a supplier to mold precision plastic components, an engineering-led model may drive greater success. This engineering expertise, combined with deep plastics material expertise, can lead to better part designs, smarter processes, better quality, and faster time to market by getting ahead of potential quality or process issues.
Beyond providing the highly technical touch required of medical parts, an engineering-led organization is also well equipped with the skills and competencies required to launch a wide range of projects. From working with you to launch a new product to expertly transferring tools to take over production from a previous supplier, a high level of engineering is required to ensure project success. The ability to consistently speak one-on-one with a dedicated engineering resource will give you the proactivity and transparency needed to accelerate success.
For example, you are working with an injection molder to produce a plastic consumable part that will eventually become part of a drug delivery device for in-home use. Your dedicated engineering resource can support you from design to material specification to design for manufacturability to validation and testing. With a focus on technical excellence, a truly customer-centric resource will lead with engineering to holistically identify and solve challenges throughout the production process.
5. A Clearly Defined Customer Intimacy Model and Customer-Focused Culture
We’ve all experienced the “doom loop” of bad customer service. Something goes wrong, you call a general phone number or send a note to a generic email address, and you find yourself repeating the process over and over with little success. A custom manufacturer with your best interest at heart will do everything in their power to keep you out of this loop and accelerate your success.
For some manufacturers, that may mean a single project manager that acts as a liaison to the subject matter experts inside his or her organization. For others, that may mean a full team that is solely dedicated to your organization, comprised of a contact from each department you will get to know well. Understanding which model is your preference is an important upfront step to ensure you are well taken care of throughout the partnership.
With a clearly defined contact(s), you can also experience the continuity and institutional knowledge you need to support employee absences or turnover within your organization. In any model, the right team will go above and beyond to ensure your success, even before the first parts come off the production line.
Custom manufacturers that recognize the need for a human touch in manufacturing act quickly in support of their customers—all while maintaining a shared commitment to protecting end user safety.
Millie Nuno is the vice president of sales at Hoffer Plastics Corporation, a leading global supplier of custom injection molded parts for a wide range of customers and industries. Nuno is a seasoned sales and marketing executive with extensive experience in the packaging industry. Her expertise focuses on developing, executing, and leading commercial strategies. Nuno holds a B.S. in marketing from Roosevelt University and is an MBA graduate of the Keller Graduate School of Management.
Medical product, equipment, and device manufacturers are faced with the need to keep up with trends in artificial intelligence (AI), product security, personalized products, and more. That’s where the right custom manufacturer comes in, playing an increasingly critical role in bringing products to market while ensuring the supply and functionality of current products today.
Identifying the “Right” Custom Manufacturer
With hundreds of custom injection molders in business today, OEMs may find themselves struggling with selection criteria. Depending on your program or project, understanding what to look for in a partner that will be the best fit for you will save time and resources upfront. If you need a highly engineered medical component, a customer-centric partner that puts you at the heart of its business may be exactly what you need to accelerate your organization’s growth and success.Following are five fundamental characteristics to look for when choosing a truly customer-centric custom manufacturer.
1. Ongoing Investments in New Equipment and Technologies
Simply put, new advanced manufacturing technologies are critical drivers of innovation. This translates to better products, happier (and healthier) end users, and ultimately, increased sales.
The wherewithal and financial stability of a manufacturing partner to make these investments is critical to its ability to prioritize your success. Beyond fiscal responsibility, partners with a proven track record of agility, strong technical engineering competencies, stringent quality processes, and a true understanding of your business will recognize the investments needed to accelerate your success. And they’ll do so from the lens of your success, not just profit.
These investments—in new injection molding presses, automation, and more—drive increased productivity, enhanced efficiency, and technical excellence to accelerate your ability to get to market cost-effectively and with high-quality products that keep end users safe.
2. Navigating Fluctuations with Ease
If your contract manufacturer is struggling to manage shifts in demand, industry trends, and customer preferences, it’s a sign you may need to look for a more customer-centric partner dedicated to getting ahead of challenges to better take care of you.
When determining who to partner with, there are several clear signs that can indicate the injection molder’s ability to navigate changes in demand, trends, and end user preferences with ease.
- They’ve adapted their organization and processes to suit the needs of unique customers. One example would be a custom manufacturer that follows a Focused Factory model to establish dedicated manufacturing cells uniquely designed to meet specific customers’ needs.
- They have a proactive tooling maintenance program that ensures tools are always ready to perform, and can easily handle unanticipated increases in demand.
- They quickly demonstrate an ability to think outside the box to meet customer needs, and will invest the resources necessary to do so. One example would be an injection molder proactively working with packaging companies to adapt a closure for flexible packaging to ensure customers comply with new sustainability legislation—accomplished without investing in new capital equipment.
3. Thinking Differently About Quality
When manufacturing medical devices, products, and equipment, there is essentially no margin for error. Even in the most “basic” of products, an OEM should expect a non-negotiable commitment to quality. While no injection molder can function without quality, a partner with your best interest at heart will think differently about quality to address issues head-on to deliver the high-quality parts you need on time and on budget.
While certifications like MedAccred and quality assurance/quality control processes are fundamental, an unwavering focus on quality can be felt throughout the life of your program. At every stage of the process—design, tooling, prototyping, injection molding, assembly, and beyond—your contract manufacturer should organize around your business needs (like the Production Part Approval Process or added levels of quality testing) to ensure quality outcomes. A manufacturing partner shouldn’t settle for “good enough”; rather, they should invest in the team and resources that will identify inconsistencies and quickly remedy them.
A model that brings multiple quality teams and experts to the table (at the plant level for dedicated customer work cells and the organization level to maintain quality standards, for example) can be better equipped to identify early, troubleshoot, and prevent issues that range from defective parts to contamination and beyond.
4. Leading with Engineering
If you are searching for a supplier to mold precision plastic components, an engineering-led model may drive greater success. This engineering expertise, combined with deep plastics material expertise, can lead to better part designs, smarter processes, better quality, and faster time to market by getting ahead of potential quality or process issues.
Beyond providing the highly technical touch required of medical parts, an engineering-led organization is also well equipped with the skills and competencies required to launch a wide range of projects. From working with you to launch a new product to expertly transferring tools to take over production from a previous supplier, a high level of engineering is required to ensure project success. The ability to consistently speak one-on-one with a dedicated engineering resource will give you the proactivity and transparency needed to accelerate success.
For example, you are working with an injection molder to produce a plastic consumable part that will eventually become part of a drug delivery device for in-home use. Your dedicated engineering resource can support you from design to material specification to design for manufacturability to validation and testing. With a focus on technical excellence, a truly customer-centric resource will lead with engineering to holistically identify and solve challenges throughout the production process.
5. A Clearly Defined Customer Intimacy Model and Customer-Focused Culture
We’ve all experienced the “doom loop” of bad customer service. Something goes wrong, you call a general phone number or send a note to a generic email address, and you find yourself repeating the process over and over with little success. A custom manufacturer with your best interest at heart will do everything in their power to keep you out of this loop and accelerate your success.
For some manufacturers, that may mean a single project manager that acts as a liaison to the subject matter experts inside his or her organization. For others, that may mean a full team that is solely dedicated to your organization, comprised of a contact from each department you will get to know well. Understanding which model is your preference is an important upfront step to ensure you are well taken care of throughout the partnership.
With a clearly defined contact(s), you can also experience the continuity and institutional knowledge you need to support employee absences or turnover within your organization. In any model, the right team will go above and beyond to ensure your success, even before the first parts come off the production line.
Starting Your Search
When defining your criteria in the search for a customer-centric partner, it is critical to prioritize what you value most while identifying how to cut through the clutter. A true partner will make it clear from day one you are the priority by making recommendations based upon your best interest, proactively communicating with you and maintaining a level of transparency that ensures your program launches without a hitch.Custom manufacturers that recognize the need for a human touch in manufacturing act quickly in support of their customers—all while maintaining a shared commitment to protecting end user safety.
Millie Nuno is the vice president of sales at Hoffer Plastics Corporation, a leading global supplier of custom injection molded parts for a wide range of customers and industries. Nuno is a seasoned sales and marketing executive with extensive experience in the packaging industry. Her expertise focuses on developing, executing, and leading commercial strategies. Nuno holds a B.S. in marketing from Roosevelt University and is an MBA graduate of the Keller Graduate School of Management.