Challenges and solutions for the medical engineering industry

A successful industry looks ahead with confidence. Both the demographic change within the industrial nations and the development of medical care in the emerging markets offer very interesting chances for growth. The increasing competition abroad led to a stronger cost awareness within the German medical engineering business, combined with the awareness that innovation and lean product development processes are essential to keep the competitive advantage.

In this context several challenges need to be met:

 

(1) Product approval efforts increase continuously, especially for class 2 and class 3 products, and tie up capacity within the company. Using a clever process design and tools for documentation, data management and active process support (e.g. a PLM solution) the effort is used in a more efficient way to increase value added. At the same time the legal restraints are better fulfilled.
-> Efficient product development processes

 

(2) The cost reduction potential for medical products is far from being tapped. Hence there are big chances to profit by the proceedings and experience of other industries. This begins with the requirements specification and a value focused product design up to improved make-or-buy decisions.
->Profitable products