COVID-19 Sparks New Trends in Medical Device Manufacturing Sector

Researched by Industrial Info Resources (Sugar Land, Texas)--Last year's pandemic-driven manufacturing slowdown and market uncertainty have caused medical device manufacturers to rethink how they make their products.

As with many other industry sectors, medical device manufacturers endured challenging times during the pandemic. Manufacturers contended with demand disruptions, unreliable supply chains and additional workplace safety practices. As a result, medical device manufacturers are looking at new materials and designs, along with increased use of robotics and automation.

Industrial Info is tracking 239 active medical device projects, worth $5.9 billion, in the U.S. and Canada. Subscribers to Industrial Info's Global Market Intelligence (GMI) Pharmaceutical & Biotech Project Database can click here for a list of detailed reports.

Click on the image at right for a heat map of medical device project activity in the U.S. and Canada, from Industrial Info's Geolocator tool.

New Designs and Materials
Over the past few years, medical devices have become more complex both in design and components. As a result, many manufacturers have begun searching for ways to curb material costs and enhance the manufacturing process. For example, surging syringe demand caused by the COVID-19 vaccine rollout was a major gain for manufacturers of plastic pre-filled syringes. These plastic syringes typically are less costly and quicker to manufacture than pre-filled syringes made of glass and other conventional materials. In 2020, Becton, Dickinson and Company (BD) (NYSE:BDX) (Franklin Lakes, New Jersey) completed a glass-to-plastic, pre-filled syringe building on its campus in Columbus, Nebraska.

Robotics and Automation
During 2020, human capital and labor constraints, along with safety protocols, impaired the output of most manufacturing industries, including medical devices. As a result, medical device manufacturers are looking to increase robotics and automated solutions to spare skilled workers from tedious manual labor, help manage growing labor costs and avoid difficulties in recruiting skilled workers.

Use of collaborative robots, or "cobots," which are designed for direct human interaction in a shared space, also may be essential to future industry success. More than a few medical device manufacturers are benefitting from new, AI-based technologies like machine vision, which uses a computer algorithm to help analyze visual data, to provide highly accurate metrology. In late 2020, contract manufacturers SITES Medical and sister company Mach Medical opened their new headquarters facility in Columbia City, Indiana. The 36,000-square-foot facility enables cross-collaboration between the two entities, and houses a high-velocity, single-piece flow manufacturing capability, which can help orthopedic original equipment manufacturers reduce their inventory by up to 83% and the cost of goods by as much as 48%.

Industrial Info Resources (IIR), with global headquarters in Sugar Land, Texas, six offices in North America and 12 international offices, is the leading provider of global market intelligence specializing in the industrial process, heavy manufacturing and energy markets. Industrial Info's quality-assurance philosophy, the Living Forward Reporting Principle, provides up-to-the-minute intelligence on what's happening now, while constantly keeping track of future opportunities. Follow IIR on: Facebook - Twitter - LinkedIn.