Medical device OEMs must balance the need for consistent quality and conformance to product and regulatory requirements with the equally essential need to get new products to market quickly and efficiently. Partnering with a competent EMS provider can serve an OEM as a source for business, manufacturing and operational innovation and efficiency that can be leveraged for competitive advantage.
However, choosing the wrong supplier can result in significant cost, product quality, and customer retention issues, warned Ed Evangelista, vice president, Federal Electronics, and author of the new white paper, “Choosing the Right EMS Provider for Medical Products Outsourcing.”
“The key in the process of selecting the right EMS provider is determining who can provide a seamless and efficient extension of your operation while conforming to the critical requirements imposed by the FDA and other regulatory bodies,” Evangelista said.
In the white paper, Evangelista draws on more than 20 years of experience to advise medical product OEMs to successfully execute the supplier evaluation and selection process, and details such issues as:
* The three key process capabilities on which to evaluate suppliers
* Defining your outsourcing strategy
* Matching your business profile to the prospective vendor
* Requiring flexibility as a must-have for high-mix, low-volume products
* Finding a personality “fit”
* Understanding your new product introduction strategy
* Recognizing Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) as a key capability
* Buying according to total acquisition cost rather than price
“Selecting an EMS partner for medical devices is a strategic process. A successful long-term relationship will pay lasting dividends in lower costs, higher productivity, greater creativity, and increased velocity to market. But the stakes are high. Virtually every decision is a minefield. Don’t take anything for granted,” Evangelista said.
Download the free white paper, “Choosing the Right EMS Provider for Medical Products Outsourcing”