The MPO Staff10.27.08
Show Preview: Medical Product Outsourcing Symposium
Industry experts will offer best practices for maximizing the outsourcing experience.
The MPO Staff
Medical device manufacturing industry professionals will gather Nov. 12-13 for the next Medical Product Outsourcing Symposium.
Maximizing the Outsourcing Experience: Efficient & Effective Practices for Medical Device Manufacturers is the theme for this fall’s event, which returns to the Conference Center at Waltham Woods in Waltham, MA. The two-day program will bring together OEMs, contract manufacturers, suppliers, consultants and members of the financial community for a series of in-depth and interactive sessions geared toward the industry’s specific needs.
Outsourcing relationships are critical to bringing new products to market and benefit medical device firms of all sizes. They are particularly valuable for small and midsize medical device firms launching new products and exploring new opportunities. Established organizations also must continue to learn and adapt as manufacturing needs change and firms are forced to maneuver through changing regulatory and market forces.
“The MPO Symposium is a unique opportunity for medical device professionals to make great strides in becoming more effective on strategic and operational levels,” said Ben Dunn, managing director for Covington Associates, a Boston, MA-based investment banking firm specializing in healthcare. “It’s also a great forum for keeping up with changing outsourcing and manufacturing trends and networking with colleagues.”
The first day will kick off with a keynote address by Amar Sawhney, president and CEO of I-Therapeutix, Inc., a company focused on ophthalmic surgical wound closure technology and drug delivery. (Previously, he was founder and CEO of Confluent Surgical, a biosurgery company acquired by Covidien.) The title of his informative presentation is “The Changing Medical Device Landscape: Staying Innovative, Avoiding Pitfalls and Seizing Opportunities.”
Other issues covered during the daylong program will include supplier integration issues, selecting an outsourcing vendor, regulatory issues and quality assurance in a changing FDA environment, an update on device industry trends and outsourcing product development. A networking luncheon is included, and a cocktail reception sponsored by Covidien will wrap up the first day of the symposium.
The second day—a half-day session—will begin with a presentation on medical device manufacturing logistics and supply chain management, followed by strategic sourcing management practices. Both days will include networking breaks to meet and mingle with speakers, make new contacts and interact with colleagues.
Other key speakers for the Medical Product Outsourcing Symposium include Andrès Rochwerger, global sourcing manager–Contract Manufacturing, Boston Scientific; Rick Hoole, director, PRTM; Terry O’Hagan, director of Business Development and Strategy for Radius; Clay Anselmo, president of Reglera LLC; and Scott W. Holmes, vice president, Strategy and Portfolio Management, Covidien Kendall.