For medical device manufacturers, reshoring plans have been part of the discussion for years. Now, many are putting them into action and hitting familiar capacity challenges along the way.

New research from MedTech Dive and JR Automation shows why scaling is easier said than done. While 90% of manufacturers say increasing capacity is critically or very important to their competitive position, four in 10 have already paused or delayed investment due to uncertainty around which solution or approach to choose.

Most manufacturers don’t want to build new operations on outdated systems and processes. That leaves them with crucial decisions to make, often with a high degree of risk and reward.

Mick Trompen, Chief Engineer of Life Sciences at JR Automation, recently explained what’s behind this shift.

“The COVID pandemic was a big trigger. We were dependent on products made overseas, and then suddenly we needed to build machines in days to scale up domestic production. It was very… [reactive], and no one wants to be in that position again,” said Trompen. “The push to reshore is also regulatory and quality-driven. As devices become more advanced, and part of the competitive advantage, manufacturers want to be more protective of that technology and their IP.”

These factors may explain why manufacturers want production closer to home. But once they make that decision, an entirely different set of questions begins.

Reshoring doesn’t mean taking an established overseas model and reproducing it domestically. According to Trompen, “It’s not going to be the same machines, computers, people, MES, or enterprise systems.

Source link