Choosing A CM: Find The Best Match By Asking The Right Questions

By Mike Fritschy, Vice President, Engineering and Product Development, SMC Ltd.

Over the past several years, medical device original equipment manufacturers (OEMs) have shifted focus to their core competencies, becoming more dependent on contract manufacturers (CMs). Today’s CMs do more than make products, they provide a wide variety of services, including product design and development, specialized manufacturing, and supply chain management. This shift makes it important to find a CM that will be a true partner and give your project the attention it needs.  

Like many other industries, contract manufacturing has been experiencing market consolidation through acquisitions. This trend has led to medical device companies finding themselves working with CMs that are larger and more complex than the OEM itself. Although it may be tempting to judge a CM by its size, it’s important to look carefully at the CM’s organizational alignment around execution, senior leadership engagement, program management culture, commitment to projects large and small, and processes in place to manage risk.