[Image from Rohan Makhecha on Unsplash]
A panel of experts at MD&M Minneapolis this morning agreed that medical device companies can’t afford to do it themselves. They need to bring in expertise from outside, and it’s a challenge.
“Find the experts in technology and get their help. Don’t try to figure it out internally. You want to innovate in what you’re doing,” said Carlos Melendez, co-founder and COO of Wovenware.
“Right now, technology is going so fast, you need to find domain experts, and they’re probably not in your company,” Melendez said. “I believe you have to work with partners who have real experience in it.
Find those experts, call them and talk with them.”
Jim Wetzel, interim CEO of the Clean Energy Smart Manufacturing Innovation Institute (CESMII), used to work in the food industry. He recalled that major food industry companies often only hired people with prior experience in food production, and that limited the range of experience available.
“Now it becomes a challenge of picking partners. And who do I trust?” Wetzel said.
This is especially true with robotics because an increasing number of medical device companies are turning to robots to better automate their manufacturing, said Mark Rutkiewicz, VP of quality at Innovize.
“They’ve come down so much in price now, it’s simple to use a robotic arm, and the programming languages have become simpler,” Rutkiewicz said.
