Conquering Challenges in the New Year

I have a small confession to make: Back in high school and college, I barely passed my courses in biology and chemistry, and didn’t do much better with anything mechanical (just ask my father how well I use a drill or tire gauge). Therefore, I have often marveled at the irony that I have spent nearly 10 years of my career working in the medical sector.

In spite of my previous shortcomings, I believe much of my success as an editor and writer is attributable to my passion for learning. As the new editor of Medical Product Outsourcing, I am enthusiastic about meeting the challenge to maintain stellar editorial content for the medical device industry.

In my short tenure with the magazine, I have already taken some fascinating tours of facilities that provide services and manufacture components to help produce innovative devices. I am continually awed and inspired by the strides being made in the medical device industry.

I was particularly struck by a conversation with Lori Beer, president of Potomac Photonics. He wisely noted that many people in the medical device industry are motivated to make a contribution to society. “We feel we’re improving health and quality of life,” he said. This sentiment mirrors the reasons I have remained in the medical sector all these years.

To ensure that the industry stays abreast of the latest developments in technology and trends, I am excited to announce a few new additions to our magazine.

Tom Taylor, president of Nypro Medical Products Group, recently joined our Editorial Advisory Board. Tom, who previously served as Nypro’s vice president of business development, has led many cross-functional initiatives at the company, including the acquisition of a new line of medical filtration devices for NP Medical Inc. Prior to joining Nypro, Tom was vice president of the OEM Healthcare Business Unit at Millipore Corporation. His background will surely help guide the magazine as the outsourcing sector of the industry continues to grow.

Executive Vice President and General Manager Chris Oleksy, of Atek Companies in Plymouth, MN, is another new Editorial Advisory Board member. Chris has more than 20 years’ experience of supply chain leadership and experience in the medical device industry, having previously worked in several executive supply chain management positions for Medtronic Inc. and Dow Corning Corporation. His passion and enthusiasm for navigating supply issues will shine through his writing for the new “Supply Chain” column (see pg. 28). Chris, who is APICS certified, was one of the founding authors of the industry ANSI standard Supply Chain Operations Reference (SCOR) model.

Finally, I am also excited to introduce a new column on design trends in the medical device industry. In every issue, the author will cover the many developments in the growing trend of outsourcing product design. In this issue (see pg. 32), a member of one of the biggest design firms explains why design issues should take precedence in device considerations and how the industry must move forward to ensure its own success.

I’m sure the New Year will bring many other developments in the field. In the meantime, I hope you will take a moment to share with me your insights regarding the growth of outsourcing in the medical device industry. I welcome any feedback or ideas for the magazine, so please don’t ever hesitate to e-mail ([email protected]) or call me (201-825-2552).

Sincerely,

Jennifer Whitney
Editor