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Plastics in Medical Devices event returns to Northeast Ohio

This post is sponsored by the Plastics in Medical Devices conference. The fast-growing medical devices sector demands constant attention, as federal regulations and customer demands tend to change rapidly. And plastics’ role in such products is only increasing, creating opportunities for those equipped to respond. The second annual “Plastics in Medical Devices” conference in North […]

By Plastics in Medical Devices on March 24, 2011 1:13 pm

This post is sponsored by the Plastics in Medical Devices conference.

The fast-growing medical devices sector demands constant attention, as federal regulations and customer demands tend to change rapidly. And plastics’ role in such products is only increasing, creating opportunities for those equipped to respond.

The second annual “Plastics in Medical Devices” conference in North America  — set for April 11-13 at Sawmill Creek Conference Center in Huron, Ohio  — will kick off with a pair of concurrent, afternoon workshops, followed by a two-day conference program featuring nearly 40 presenters. As with the first such conference  — which drew 275 participants from around the world to Cleveland last April  — this event will again bring together members of all segments of the medical-device supply chain. Speakers include industrial designers, medical device OEMs, plastics processors and toolmakers, consultants and materials and equipment suppliers.

The theme of innovation underscores the conference’s keynote addresses. Wynn Bailey, a principal with PricewaterhouseCoopers LLP, will deliver the opening address April 12, as he recaps the findings from PwC’s recent study that charts how well nine countries promote factors that advance medical technology innovation. Bailey will assess the implications of the medtech innovation gap narrowing between the United States and emerging economies such as China and India.

Meantime, John Nottingham, co-president of Cleveland design firm Nottingham-Spirk, and Andy Zynga, CEO of open-innovation service provider NineSigma Inc., will tag-team on a keynote presentation offering advice on how to speed up the development and market introduction of medical products.

Other presenters from firms such as Battelle, Boston Scientific, Jabil, Philips, Vesta Inc., Sweden’s Zenit Design, MTD Micro Molding, GW Plastics, Roundtable Healthcare Partners, Stout Risius Ross, Czuba Enterprises, SmartShape Design, PolyOne,  Ximedica and Eastman Chemical will address such topics as micromolding, nanomaterials, regulatory changes, merger and acquisition trends in this sector, home healthcare trends, advances in resin and additives technology, and outsourcing/offshoring trends. Additionally, 30 or so organizations  — from molder Thogus Products to university Penn State Erie  — will have exhibits offering further information.

The concurrent, four-hour Monday workshops will address the following topics:

  • RJG Inc.  will offer strategies to help companies deal with the expensive time- and resource-consuming tasks of meeting FDA requirements for installation (IQ), operational (OQ) and performance (PQ) qualification, with a focus on medical plastics processing. 
  • Austria’s Engel Machinery Inc.  will team with German automation equipment supplier Waldorf Technik   to provide an update on the latest injection molding and clean-room production technology and concepts for medical parts production.

Full program and registration details are available at www.plasticsinmedicaldevices.com.

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