New Cutting Machine Slices Production Times And Increases Customer Service

Feb. 2, 2012 - PRLog -- At a time when a lot of companies are tightening the purse strings and cutting back on expenditure, Peterborough-based medical devices company Coloplast (www.coloplast.com) is bucking the trend and, after another successful year, has invested in a series of new cutting machines.

The machines, which have been installed in the company’s distribution centre in Orton Southgate, are used to cut ostomy bags to patients’ individual requirements.

Ostomy bags are used by people that have a stoma - an opening of the digestive system onto the abdomen. Ostomy bags are used to collect the output and Coloplast customises its ostomy bags ensuring a secure fit for every customer.

The machines, which were a significant investment for the company, cut the bags with an ultrasonic knife that oscillates at a very high frequency for precise customisation. As well as helping to ensure product consistency, the machines have increased production capabilities and also enable staff to focus on other areas of their work.

Arif Karim, Coloplast’s distribution centre manager, explained: “It is vital in our industry that we provide the best possible service to our customers. That means not only delivering products swiftly but also producing products of a consistently high quality.

“With our previous, manual method of cutting the ostomy bags, there was always an element of human judgement to take into account. Templates were printed off and ostomy bags were cut by hand according to the template. With the new machines we are able to transfer the templates directly to the machine order by order, and it cuts them with a greater degree of precision than was previously possible.”

Coloplast prides itself on its award-winning level of customer service. When a customer places an order, their template – which is already on the system – is sent directly to the new Stoma Profiling Machines. The machines then cut the stoma bag to the exact shape of the template. The repeatability of the cut means that every bag a customer receives will be cut to their exact specifications. The speed at which the machine works also means that, even at periods of peak demand, most products will be dispatched on the same day they are ordered.

Thanks to the IT infrastructure that Coloplast has installed to support the machines, they are simple to use and require little manual intervention, enabling staff in the distribution centre to focus on other areas of their work, further enhancing the level of customer service that Coloplast provides.