Once again, I find myself wandering the many halls of the Medica and CompaMed trade events. Between checking out the latest and greatest from the medtech elite, discovering new firms displaying their first products at the show, or catching up with those I’ve met before, I took a moment to reach out to representatives at several companies exhibiting at the medical device gathering this year. Hopefully, these questions provide useful information for anyone unable to meet with them at the event or those who are not headed to Germany this year. With that in mind, Kevin Hartke, chief technology officer at Resonetics, shared the following insights to help you determine if the firm is a potential services partner for you in 2020 or beyond.
 
Sean Fenske: What technology or service are you emphasizing at Medica/CompaMed this year?
Kevin Hartke: This year, we are focusing on our nitinol processing, precision grinding, thin-wall tubing, and our 3D ablation capabilities.
 
Fenske: What’s the most common challenge customers inquire about and how do you address it?
Hartke: Our most common customer inquiries are based around miniaturization and speed. Some of the questions we get asked the most are, “How do I make a component or subassembly smaller?” We solve these issues through our team of over 50 dedicated engineers and technicians employing advanced micromanufacturing technologies including laser processing, metal fabrication, and nitinol and thin-walled tubing.
 
Another question we get asked frequently is, “Can I get a prototype tomorrow?” The way we serve these types of needs for our customers is through our Lightspeed Lab, which is a dedicated prototyping team that can review a project, provide a quote, and deliver prototype parts in less than a week.
 
Fenske: If you could give one piece of advice to companies seeking a manufacturing partner before they make a decision, what would it be?
Hartke: Go beyond the typical systematic assessments (quality, etc.) and get to know the people you will be working with. Do you see an alignment between the culture of the manufacturing partner and your business? Do the values and vision of the business align with where you are going? Is there a true capability from prototype to production to support your manufacturing requirements?
 
Fenske: What are the forces driving medical device manufacturers to seek your technology/services over doing it in-house?
Hartke: Customers seek us out because of our technology focus and specialization. We have a laser focus on micromanufacturing technology and it is very difficult for medical device manufacturers to replicate all of our capabilities in-house. This focus allows us to get to a solution faster and provide a more economical path to producing the components or subassemblies required, which keeps the medical device manufacturer focused on developing the next patient solution.
 
Fenske: In what ways is your company able to aid in getting a product (project) to market faster?
Hartke: Our secret weapon is our dedicated prototyping team—Lightspeed Lab. We have over 50 engineers and technicians using dedicated micromanufacturing equipment to turn prototype parts around quickly. This dedicated team is a clear differentiator for Resonetics and enables our customers to turn multiple iterations of prototypes in the time it takes our competitors to quote the job.
 
Resonetics is located at Medica/Compamed in Hall 8A, Booth/Stand K41.