Regional Extrusion, Thermoplastic Molding, and Catheter Offerings—5Qs at Medica/CompaMed 2023

For virtually everyone in the U.S., November marks the beginning of winter, shorter days, decreasing temperatures, and Thanksgiving. For those involved with medical device development and manufacturing, it’s also the month for the Medica and CompaMed trade shows in Dusseldorf, Germany. While last year’s event seemed to bring the crowd’s back following the COVID-induced hiatus, this year may be a more true return to form.
 
With this in mind, I reached out to a number of companies who will be exhibiting at the show to find out directly from them what they are showing off or focusing on at the event, what challenges customers have brought them, and where they see their role within the industry in aiding medical device manufacturers. Tackling these questions as well as a couple others, Vanessa Gagnon, global marketing director at Saint-Gobain Medical, shared a few insights to help you determine if the firm should be a potential services partner for you in 2024 or beyond.
 
Sean Fenske: What technology or service are you emphasizing at Medica/CompaMed this year?
 
Vanessa Gagnon: Beyond showcasing our main product offerings (filtration technologies, extrusion solutions, catheter systems, and molding services), we are highlighting our European local manufacturing capabilities and our innovation pipeline. Customers visiting our booth can enjoy a coffee and see some of our latest material and product innovations. We will host an Innovation Café to connect with customers and inspire meaningful conversation to further drive material innovation in our industry.
 
Fenske: What’s the most common challenge customers inquire about and how do you address it?
 
Gagnon: One of the most shared challenges, which has escalated post-COVID, is business continuity planning and supply chain risk mitigation. Supply chain resilience has become top of mind for our customers, who are now placing more importance than ever to their suppliers’ financial stability, manufacturing footprint, and their own supplier relationship management. With over 30 manufacturing sites located in North America, Europe, Asia, and South America, we have the ability to offer our customers security of supply by validating multiple sites. Since the pandemic, we have allocated more R&D resources toward silicone research, from our sourcing strategy to material characterization to benchmarking additional silicone grades and qualifying new silicone vendors.
 
Additionally, our design and quick prototyping services for catheter systems have attracted many European startups who are looking for a collaborative partner that can not only translate user requirements into catheter designs and prototypes, but also work hand in hand with them through their clinical trials and industrialization/mass production.
 
Fenske: If you could give one piece of advice to companies seeking a manufacturing partner before they make a decision, what would it be?
 
Gagnon: Select your perfect fit. Conduct your due diligence to ensure you partner with a supplier that has in-depth industry expertise beyond the manufacturing requirements, such as quality and regulatory knowledge, with a record of delivering on their promise. Find a partner that will be there to support your full product lifecycle once launched to the market.
 
Fenske: What are the forces driving medical device manufacturers to seek your technology/services over doing it in-house?
 
Gagnon: There are a few forces driving medical device manufacturers to seek our technology/services over doing it in-house.
 

• Life Stage & Startup cost: The cost for a start-up to build the right infrastructure to manufacture in-house could be in the millions, but most importantly, finding the expertise to develop the manufacturing processes is quite challenging. With our local catheter design and manufacturing expertise, we work with many European startups to bring their ideas to life, from the design phase to clinical trials and mass production.
• Organizational & Operational Strategy: Not all medical device manufacturers have the same operational strategy and manufacturing expertise. Some will opt to focus their internal resources and budget on product innovation and market adoption and then rely on external partners to support their manufacturing needs.
• Niche Capabilities: Most of what we offer is built on decades of material and processing knowledge, which makes it difficult to replicate. Furthermore, most of what we offer is custom and purpose-built for the application, which could prove illogical for a medical device manufacturer to invest in such production in-house.
• Power of Reputation: Word of mouth remains a strong driving force in our industry. Over the years, we have had many engineers from medical device manufacturers recommend Saint-Gobain Medical to their peers.
• Industry & Regulatory Expertise: Lastly, staying ahead of regulatory changes and having a clear understanding of our industry requirements provides peace of mind for our customers.

 
Fenske: In what ways is your company able to aid in getting a product (project) to market faster?
 
Gagnon: At Saint-Gobain, we specialize in medical device component prototyping and tooling to help our customers fast-track their product launches. Every day, our customers bring us their concepts and drawings, and then we quickly produce advanced prototypes to test and modify according to their exact specifications. Our engineers are among the best in the world, and in-house design and tooling capabilities allow us to produce quality products across a wide range of product categories (molding, extrusion, filtration, delivery systems, and specialty closures). Our quick turnaround and attention to detail come together to help our customers through the iterative design process as quickly as possible while resulting in a quality part manufacturable in mass quantities.
 
Saint-Gobain Medical is located at Medica/Compamed in Hall 8A, Booth/Stand L28.