Company insight
The supply chain starts at part selection
In-region sourcing can reduce delays and keep development moving. Carol D’Amato, vice-president of client success and operations excellence at Qosina, explains how.
sk a device engineer what disrupted a recent development effort and the answer may have less to do with the design than with the parts needed to build it. It might be a check valve held in customs, a stopcock with a 12-week lead time from another continent or an overnight wait for an answer to a validation question. Global reach and regional support work together. A global network gives customers access to a broad range of components and technical expertise while regional operations can reduce response time during active development. Engineers can then decide what needs to be close and when. In practice, the right mix depends on the part, the project stage and how much schedule risk the team can absorb.
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How in-region sourcing works In-region sourcing does not mean moving the entire supply chain. It means placing the inventory, expertise and documentation that support active development closer to the customer, while the broader network continues to provide scale and product breadth. Qosina Europe brings selected inventory, technical support and documentation closer to customers. Its presence affects where inventory sits, when technical support is available and how quickly documentation can be provided. That can mean shorter shipping routes for locally stocked parts, same-day conversations with the technical team and faster access to documentation.
Where the stock physically sits This is what separates a regional operation from a regional address. Components stocked in Europe through Qosina’s local-for-local initiative ship within the EU, which removes a customs step entirely for EU destinations. For UK destinations, the same in-region stock replaces a transcontinental
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A luer-activated valve may be a small part of a device, but where it is stocked and supported can have a significant impact on development timelines.
movement and its transit exposure with a shorter leg from a known origin. That creates far less exposure than a 12-week ocean lead time.
Who answers a technical question, and when
The Qosina Europe team works in its customers’ time zone and speaks their languages. Local support becomes especially valuable while engineers are actively iterating on a fluid path and need an answer before the next build.
How quickly documentation is available
Under EU MDR 2017/745, manufacturers must maintain technical documentation covering device design and manufacturing information, risk
management, verification and validation. Teams serving both the EU and Great Britain must also account for the requirements and transition rules that apply in each market. For engineers, the question is whether a component supplier can provide the specifications, declarations and supporting records the technical documentation requires without a three-week round trip to another continent.
Where in-region support adds value The unit price of a connector tells you only part of what it can cost you. Consider a subassembly held at a border for three weeks. Cleanroom time is often booked in advance, so a missed slot may push verification, design freeze and the submission.
www.medicaldevice-developments.com
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