Assembly Planbook - July 2008 - (Page 40)

ASSEMBLY Medical Device Assembly The Human Side of MedAssembly Two Shingo Prize winners talk about how a strong workforce can pave the way to profitability. edical devices are among the most sophisticated and highly regulated products manufactured today. Not only must they be extremely precise in terms of their performance, they must be completely and utterly reliable. Medical devices are also often manufactured in high volume. This, in turn, requires a high degree of automation in one’s assembly process M On the one hand, the high-tech equipment employed in manufacturing medical devices requires a good deal of skill to operate. On the other, the nature of the healthcare sector is such that a single facility will often find itself producing a mix of products, or even creating products on a semi-custom basis. Manual assembly is still widespread. A one-size-fits-all approach simply isn’t possible when dealing with things like All the technology in the world isn’t going to do you any good if you don’t have the workforce to implement it. implants or splints. Operators need to think as opposed to just push buttons. An engaged and enthusiastic workforce can have a huge impact on the bottom line. Illustrative of this point has been the experience of DJO Inc. (Vista, CA) and Aspect Medical Systems (Norwood, MA). Founded in 1978 as DonJoy Inc., DJO manufactures the Defiance line of knee braces—popular with college football players, among others—and the DonJoy CMF line of bone growth stimulation devices. The company also manufactures a device it calls the Venaflow, which helps prevent blood clots. Aspect Medical produces the BIS line of patient monitoring devices, which In the medical field, a talented and dedicated workforce is essential to a company’s profitability. Photo courtesy Aspect Medical Systems By Adam Cort Senior Editor to ensure profitability. Clean rooms, rock-solid inline functional testing, highly repeatable assembly processes— medical device manufacturers are often on the cutting edge of assembly, and for good reason. That having been said, all the technology in the world isn’t going to do you much good if you don’t a talented and dedicated workforce to employ it. 40 ASSEMBLY / July 2008 www.assemblymag.com http://www.assemblymag.com

Table of Contents Feed for the Digital Edition of Assembly Planbook - July 2008

Assembly Planbook - July 2008 Contents Editorial Quality in Assembly Station to Station Assembly Lines Assembly in Action Surviving the Roller Coaster The Human Side of Manufacturing Do Your Fasteners Need a Preapplied Thread-Locker? Manufacturing Innovation A Century of Progress Trendsetting Plants Pulse Tools Get Smart Plastics: Design for X Product Reviews Products Advertisers Index Classified Leading Lean

Assembly Planbook - July 2008

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