Optimisation of any production process is one of the major ways of making an entire business more efficient. Medical electronics manufacturing optimisation is no exception. Its effectiveness can be increased through improved user experience and reduction of manufacturing costs. Unfortunately, a common mistake is to prefer one of these strategies to another, which can have serious side effects.
Increasing customer satisfaction
Adding new features to a product seems to make it more attractive to potential users. Still, in the case of medical electronics manufacturing, designers do not have too many possibilities for customization of their goods, especially when it comes to professional medical equipment. Some devices tend to be pretty expensive, which makes their owners treat them as a long-term investment.
At the same time, it is crucial to remember that the majority of medical workers have to complete special training in order to be allowed to treat their patients using certain devices. Switching to redesigned equipment might require further investment into relearning.
The market of medical devices for home use appears to be more auspicious for customization. Still, even in its case, it is recommended to make a thorough research on the necessity of the device improvement.
Financial optimization
Decreasing the expenses of production seems to be an easier task.
For instance, you can use the clean sheet analysis that covers both the costs of materials and the price you have to pay for the design of the device. With its help, you can better understand where it is possible to cut costs. Sometimes, this will require major design changes, for example, in the number of PCBs, or it might happen the mere change of the shape of your device will help to save some money.
Before you decide to intervene in the design of your product, you should make sure your EMS provider has effective supply chain management that does not boost your expenses.
Reaching balance in medical electronics manufacturing optimization
Since finding the right ratio between these two components of optimization can be rather challenging, many companies are prone to using only one of them. Note that a lack of proper research and planning for optimization can decrease the company’s efficiency.
Estimate whether your device will still be competitive on the market after the introduction of production changes. If the cost-cutting strategy affects the quality, customers might expect a lower price for your goods, while innovative yet unnecessary changes can leave potential users uninterested in your device.
Conclusions: safety comes first
No matter which route you would like to choose or whether you are ready to make the most of both of them, safety of your devices should be prioritized. Make sure none of the changes is affecting the quality negatively, while the EMS provider is keeping the production aligned with the requirements of the ISO 13485 standards.
Assel is a leading Medical Electronics Manufacturing Services provider, to find out more about Medical EMS check: Asselems.com
