FEATURE Medical Equipment & Devices
Home diagnostics delivery a catalyst
for medical moulding growth Sumitomo Demag UK MD, Nigel Flowers, examines the transformational technologies that will play a role in future medical treatment pathways and how UK moulders are fostering cooperation and expanding their medical device moulding capabilities.
T
he global medical injection moulding market size was valued at USD 1.38 billion in 2019 and is expected to grow,
driven by advances in the home healthcare sector and an ageing population, which WHO predicts will double by 2050. Rising demand for medical devices across hospitals and laboratories during the COVID-19 pandemic has had a positive impact on market growth. In order to safely deliver healthcare during the pandemic, telehealth and outpatient care spiked with virtual healthcare models reshaping attitudes and acceptance towards ‘at home tests’. Within Sumitomo (SHI) Demag, demand for medical technology solutions rose by almost 50 per cent during the pandemic. Here, the focus was on delivering machines to
support the production of applications for IVDs to support the devices which perform COVID- 19 tests. The main products being pipette tips and PCR-plates.
monitoring and diagnostic applications is already causing a paradigm shift in the MedTech space. Estimated to be worth USD 56.5 million by 2027 for moulders already producing vital monitoring devices, e.g. oxygen, weight, glucose and ECG devices, as well as infusion pumps and cannulas etc. and already meeting the exacting healthcare standards, the transition to homecare device production should be relatively seamless. To enhance patient safety, there’s already been
a drive towards using new and more innovative impact strength to mould components. As a high liability market, traceability is not just about mandatory information and supply chain tracking. Real-time traceability is about being able to call up data and verify the exact settings used on the injection moulding machine when that individual plastic part was made. That’s where
Real-time traceability is about being able to call up data and verify the exact settings used on the injection moulding machine
With approximately 70 per cent of UK clinical decisions based on IVD tests, over 900 million tests performed every year and a predicted 10 per cent annual increase in demand for blood and tissue tests in the next 10 years, the UK’s advanced and dynamic IVD market has huge export potential notes national association BIVDA.
“Rising costs and demographic shifts, most
notably driven by higher life expectancies, inevitably places even greater pressure on already stretched healthcare services,” observes Mr Flowers. Britain’s over 65s already outnumber under 16s. By 2030, around 20 per cent of people in England will be over 65.
THE PARADIGM SHIFT Often referred to as the Internet of Medical Things (IoMT), the evolution of remote
18 February 2022 Irish Manufacturing
connectivity to a Management Executive System (MES) is vital. The importance of Sumitomo (SHI) Demag’s strategic decision to push ahead with new and further developments in its all-electric IntElect machine series a few years ago has been clearly Mr Flowers continues: “This foresight has enabled moulders in hygiene sensitive markets to react to different demands, including heightened demand for oxygen sensors, blood monitoring equipment and facemasks, as well as test kits.”
CATCHING FRESH OUTBREAKS UK scientists and ministers have already initiated programs to ensure future infectious outbreaks can be tested and contained at home. There are exciting opportunities ahead for British moulders operating in the high tech medical device and
diagnostics product development and production space, believes Mr Flowers. Moreover, the shift in the delivery of traditional institutional healthcare services to homecare, as the country attempts to alleviate the economic burden on the NHS and social care, will inevitably lead to the development of new devices. To support these advances and in order to meet the explicit quality management and validation ISO 13485 standards for medical devices, Sumitomo (SHI) Demag has introduced new machine user parameters, digital quality control and KPI analytics into its IntElect S medical production cell.
Such systems demonstrate the advantage of
keeping processes within certain bandwidths and illustrates how cycle and time-dependent data can be collected via the machine interface and mapped via an App-based dashboard. Initially, these can be used for data server
storage, the creation of KPI dashboards, the visualisation of live data, and to display historical data and trend analysis. Additionally, a troubleshooting guide helps with solving and evaluating process deviations.
Sumitomo (SHI) Demag
uk.sumitomo-shi-demag.eu
www.irish-manufacturing.com
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