Case Studies

A renowned multinational located in the North West of Ireland, began work on a new drug delivery project.

This project represented a completely new challenge for the business, and the project engineers charged with delivering the project had to learn and adapt very quickly, in order to ensure that the project would be delivered to market within the required time frame.

To help them achieve their project deadline, the team looked to a number of local providers servicing the global medical device industry – in the hope that they would find some of the specialist solutions providers they required.

This search for suitable partners led them to the Atlantic Med Tech Cluster – a group of cutting-edge medical device and technology providers, all working in partnership to provide full-service solutions to companies in the medical technology & devices sector.

Background

The client had developed a drug which transformed people’s lives and improved patient outcomes. However, the one critical element that was missing was the delivery system: they needed a medical device that would safely and efficiently deliver the drug to patients across the world.

The project team already included experts with a strong background in intravenous drug delivery systems and feed sets, but in order to bring this drug to market, they required specialist expertise to help them make the transition to the auto-injector manufacturing discipline.

However, given the pressing time frame for project delivery, the team was not in a position to have the required expertise in each of the specialist fields required to injection mould, assemble, package, and dispatch on a global scale.

As a result, their only viable option was to identify several different subcontractors with the various specialist skill sets required, to ensure a successful project delivery.

Proposed Solution

After a number of initial meetings amongst the project team in relation to the sourcing of suitable suppliers, the group’s discovery of the Atlantic MedTech Cluster completely transformed the project process and direction.

Having multiple Med Tech service providers all accessible through the AMTC website meant that the impossible project time frame suddenly became achievable.

In addition, the client was quickly reassured about the cluster’s expertise in each of the key areas in which support was needed: injection moulding, tool-making, metrology, automation and cleanroom equipment.

As a result of realising the full range of benefits which the cluster members offered, the internal project team could now focus all of their efforts on the overall project delivery.

The Result

By collaborating with various individual local service providers, rather than trying to find solutions internally, the project team reported a number of very significant cost and time savings, which were critical to the overall success of the project:

• More cost-effective quotations in each of the various different project elements
• Ability to maximise resources, maximise efficiencies, and make project success possible within a shorter time frame
• The power of the collaborative structure ensured that each element of the project worked in unison, rather than isolation, resulting in faster, leaner, more effective solutions.

Conclusion

This case study highlights the advantages of collaborative working, the benefits of outsourcing specialist services, and the value of streamlining workflows & project processes.

Are you a medical technology or devices organisation looking to bring a new solution or product to market?

If so, contact the AMTC and see how our cluster members can reduce your project timelines, save you money and ultimately get you to market more quickly.