Shifting the Supply Paradigm: Strategies for Success in MedDevice Amidst Historic Shortages and Delays

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Though now somewhat cliched, “unprecedented” is genuinely the most succinct way to describe our current circumstances. The initial outbreak of COVID-19, over two years ago now, marked the beginning of a period nothing short of turbulent in all areas of life, and its effects continue to be felt around the world today. This time, the global supply chain encountered difficulties unlike any before seen in the modern era. Given Russia’s recent invasion of Ukraine, it would appear there are more on the way. While repeated and widespread shutdowns created the mass material scarcity during the pandemic’s peak, the recent return to operations has done little to assuage them, with suppliers and manufacturers now wrestling with geopolitical interruptions and shortages, and increased costs experienced across the board.

With our proximity to COVID, the world of medical technology has been rocked in these last two years. From raw material supply to component manufacturing, assembly, and market, the entire industry has felt the effects of the supply difficulties at hand, and what was previously considered the definitive best method for efficient, cost-effective production— JIT (Just-in-Time) manufacturing paired with Lean Inventory Management— has proven incompatible with the realities of operation today. In a world where procurement and transportation are no longer guaranteed, to order based on need alone while forgoing safety stock is a recipe for delays and additional costs at best. 

This period, for MIDI, marked a trial by fire in refining our AGILE development methods to continue achieving rapid time-to-market and enjoying the quality, flexibility, and reduced waste of JIT operations while incorporating steps to prepare for manufacturing complications. We found that the key to ensuring long-term success is prioritizing risk mitigation at the corporate level, integrating contingency planning into all operations, and disseminating new strategic methods to the engineering, manufacturing, and supply levels. 

Strategies in Advanced DFSC

Our advanced Design for Supply Chain (DFSC) strategy, operationalized under the DevelopmentDNA™ approach and detailed within our ISO-13485 QMS, is a distillation of the best of these risk mitigation methods. But what exactly does it entail? How can you best ensure resilience in an uncertain supply chain?

One such Independent Distributor that focuses on difficult tasks like this is a company called Converge an ARROW company (www.converge.com)

It is a near certainty that the supply chain challenges will continue to grow and filter through the medical device industry. Developers will need to prepare themselves to weather further hardship to see sustained business success. MIDI’s DevelopmentDNA™ approach is designed to rapidly bring safe, effective medical devices to the market, but this is not its only goal— with our integrated advanced DFX strategy, it is also intended to create and secure continuous revenue streams for our customers. Today, that means shifting the paradigm of how medical device technology companies interact with the global supply chain. 

For more tips on mitigating risks in the supply chain while developing your medical device, visit the MIDI Innovation Vault

To hear more about Advanced DFX Strategy at MIDI, check out our new MIDI Innovation Vault™ podcast series: Advanced DFX Strategy & Supply Chain Paradigm Shift for Medical Device Development. 

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