Sean Fenske, Editor-in-Chief11.15.19
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, Emily Barnes, senior global market manager at Zeus Industrial Products, 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?
Emily Barnes: We are excited to showcase our High-Ratio FluoroPEELZ Peelable Heat Shrink at CompaMed this year. With ratios up to 2:1, FluoroPEELZ eliminates the time and cost of skiving off heat shrink after the lamination process. As the market leader in optically clear, peelable heat shrink, we have expanded our ratio capabilities to provide our industry a seamless solution to maximize yield on their most critical devices, especially those struggling with reflow processes over delicate low durometer materials as found in the construction of neurovascular reinforced catheters and neuromodulation leads.
Fenske: What’s the most common challenge customers inquire about and how do you address it?
Barnes: Improper sizing and extreme tolerances on initial prints can dramatically impact product cost and overall design functionality if not addressed before validation trials begin. Once a design is locked in, contract manufacturers and OEMs are hesitant to absorb the cost and time to change, unwittingly creating a manufacturing juggernaut for their colleagues downstream.
The solution is to let our team help on the front end. We are highly consultative, and can provide solutions that drive out cost without sacrificing quality. Recently, our team suggested a slight adjustment to the expanded ID of one of our heat shrink products that eliminated a perceived defect in the customer’s reflow process. Similarly, an alternative packaging requirement helped save another one of our customers significant resources during their incoming inspection process.
Fenske: If you could give one piece of advice to companies seeking a manufacturing partner before they make a decision, what would it be?
Barnes: How about two—capacity and scale. Zeus is a global company and we continue to invest in our manufacturing facilities, ensuring our lead times are the lowest in the industry. With our recent expansion in Ireland, we continue to serve our European customers with expert technical support and superior polymer materials.
Fenske: What are the forces driving medical device manufacturers to seek your technology/services over doing it in-house?
Barnes: The complexity of today’s medical devices require high-performance materials and components with fine dimensions and tight tolerances. For over 50 years, Zeus has been at the forefront of precision extrusions, and our strategic partnerships allow us to ensure the highest quality materials and products are passed on to medical device OEMs. The direct relationships we have with our OEM customers ensure patients are receiving the best possible care through our material expertise and long standing dedication to quality, thereby, increasing positive patient outcomes and saving lives.
Zeus understands we provide value to our customers by ensuring they are able to focus on the design of new cutting-edge devices. Our global presence, product capabilities, personnel, and material science allow us to provide timely services to our customers, allowing them to focus on device design to better aid physicians and patients alike.
Fenske: In what ways is your company able to aid in getting a product (project) to market faster?
Barnes: The Zeus Virtual Sample Locker (VSL)—our online free-sampling program—is instrumental in helping OEMs develop prototypes rapidly. Our VSL offers existing and prospective customers high-quality samples at no cost. The free samples ship within 48 hours, with no purchase or payment required.
Zeus Industrial Products is located at Medica/Compamed in Hall 8B, Booth/Stand K27.
Sean Fenske: What technology or service are you emphasizing at Medica/CompaMed this year?
Emily Barnes: We are excited to showcase our High-Ratio FluoroPEELZ Peelable Heat Shrink at CompaMed this year. With ratios up to 2:1, FluoroPEELZ eliminates the time and cost of skiving off heat shrink after the lamination process. As the market leader in optically clear, peelable heat shrink, we have expanded our ratio capabilities to provide our industry a seamless solution to maximize yield on their most critical devices, especially those struggling with reflow processes over delicate low durometer materials as found in the construction of neurovascular reinforced catheters and neuromodulation leads.
Fenske: What’s the most common challenge customers inquire about and how do you address it?
Barnes: Improper sizing and extreme tolerances on initial prints can dramatically impact product cost and overall design functionality if not addressed before validation trials begin. Once a design is locked in, contract manufacturers and OEMs are hesitant to absorb the cost and time to change, unwittingly creating a manufacturing juggernaut for their colleagues downstream.
The solution is to let our team help on the front end. We are highly consultative, and can provide solutions that drive out cost without sacrificing quality. Recently, our team suggested a slight adjustment to the expanded ID of one of our heat shrink products that eliminated a perceived defect in the customer’s reflow process. Similarly, an alternative packaging requirement helped save another one of our customers significant resources during their incoming inspection process.
Fenske: If you could give one piece of advice to companies seeking a manufacturing partner before they make a decision, what would it be?
Barnes: How about two—capacity and scale. Zeus is a global company and we continue to invest in our manufacturing facilities, ensuring our lead times are the lowest in the industry. With our recent expansion in Ireland, we continue to serve our European customers with expert technical support and superior polymer materials.
Fenske: What are the forces driving medical device manufacturers to seek your technology/services over doing it in-house?
Barnes: The complexity of today’s medical devices require high-performance materials and components with fine dimensions and tight tolerances. For over 50 years, Zeus has been at the forefront of precision extrusions, and our strategic partnerships allow us to ensure the highest quality materials and products are passed on to medical device OEMs. The direct relationships we have with our OEM customers ensure patients are receiving the best possible care through our material expertise and long standing dedication to quality, thereby, increasing positive patient outcomes and saving lives.
Zeus understands we provide value to our customers by ensuring they are able to focus on the design of new cutting-edge devices. Our global presence, product capabilities, personnel, and material science allow us to provide timely services to our customers, allowing them to focus on device design to better aid physicians and patients alike.
Fenske: In what ways is your company able to aid in getting a product (project) to market faster?
Barnes: The Zeus Virtual Sample Locker (VSL)—our online free-sampling program—is instrumental in helping OEMs develop prototypes rapidly. Our VSL offers existing and prospective customers high-quality samples at no cost. The free samples ship within 48 hours, with no purchase or payment required.
Zeus Industrial Products is located at Medica/Compamed in Hall 8B, Booth/Stand K27.
