Despite the current economic crisis, which has brought about the immense collapse of manufacturing on both a national and global scale, the swine flu epidemic that has swept across Mexico and the United States has helped boost business for many medical equipment manufacturing companies. Constantly hearing about several thousand confirmed cases of swine flu in Mexico and a handful of cases in the United States, many people have responded in an effort to avoid being infected by rushing to their local drug stores and doctors’ offices to get medical supplies, such as protective face masks, antibacterial hand sanitizers, and flu vaccines.

Because of this sudden boom in the demand for drug and medical equipment, many pharmacies like Rite-Aid and CVS have increased their demand for more medical products from manufacturers. In response, medical equipment manufacturers like 3M Co. have been forced to maximize production in order to keep up with the orders from pharmacies. Not only have medical device manufacturing companies responded to the surge in demand by increasing the number of manufacturing lines, but they have also added shifts and are operating work stations around the clock to make sure all demands are met. The U.S. Federal Government and manufacturers have also been in the process of developing a new vaccine against this new virus. According to U.S. Centers for Disease Control, the government, researchers, and manufacturers have all been working together to complete the production of next year’s flu vaccine and then manufacturing of vaccines for the H1N1 disease.

With all this increase in production of drugs and medical devices, automated scheduling can help medical device manufacturing companies improve productivity and cut costs, which would further boost revenue along with their increased sales. Furthermore, medical equipment manufacturers can decide when a certain task should be scheduled and what resources should be used to begin and complete the work. They can also know just how much to produce so that they will have enough products to ship out and not too many products that they will have to increase inventory. With a production plan and schedule, manufacturers like 3M can meet their goals and objectives, such as meeting a sudden demand for face masks and hand sanitizers on such short notice.

Overwhelmed with a sudden increase in demand for medical supplies? Let us assist you in finding a solution to meeting those demands. If interested feel free to ask questions about automated scheduling.

President Barack Obama recently made a statement this past weekend that the U.S. was starting to see “glimmers of hope” in the midst of a gloomy economic state. He stated that the nation is starting to show signs of progress as some of his policies are being set into motion, although we must be careful not to overlook unemployment and other problems that continue to hurt the country and our people. However, Americans can surely believe that they will start to see “glimmers of hope” when it comes to health care and having access to medication without having to spend tons of money, which is crucial at this moment with many living on tight budgets or looking to save wherever possible. President Obama will bring hope to the American people with a health care reform that works for people by reducing costs and saving them hundreds, if not thousands, of dollars on medication every year. 

As health care reforms set in, people will begin to see the costs of drugs lower. This is being made possible by allowing the importation of safe medicines from other developed countries, increasing the use of generic drugs in public programs, and taking on drug companies that block cheaper generic medicines from the market. Not only will the health reforms lower expenses for Americans having to buy over-the-counter drugs, but it will also help increase sales for pharmaceutical companies. President Barack Obama’s support for easier access to generic drugs, which would help people spend less on medical needs, is also motivating pharmaceutical companies to invest money into expanding their export markets. Although some might question drug companies investing when the global economy is so bad, the reality is that global sales will help pharmaceutical companies face the economic crisis, which would be much more difficult to face on domestic sales alone. 

Local pharmaceutical companies in many developed countries, such as South Korea, are starting to target the global market by exporting their domestic medicines abroad. Although some people might question the quality and safety of these exported medicines, there’s no need to worry for all pharmaceutical companies looking to export their medicines into the U.S. must meet the standards of the current Good Manufacturing Practice, or cGMP, and actually go through a strict qualification process to get the GMP. The cGMP is recognized worldwide for the control and management of manufacturing and quality control testing of foods, pharmaceutical products, and medical devices. GMP documents every aspect of the process, activities, and operations involved with drug and medical device manufacturing, and requires that all manufacturing and testing equipment has been qualified as suitable for use. To meet the cGMP standards, many drug companies are investing millions of dollars in building better facilities and buying new equipment. Furthermore, GMPs will be enforced by the Food and Drug Administration in each country, and all the drugs exported to the U.S. will also need to pass inspections run by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration.

Would you want to pay more for your brand name drugs because of your familiarity and experience with a certain brand? Or, would you be willing to buy and try generic drugs exported from foreign countries because they cost less? Feel free to comment. 

The economic slump we currently face is greatly hurting the manufacturing industry, as it is one of the industries being hit the hardest during these trying times. And yet, manufacturing is still managing to find a way to hang on and stay alive. Proof of this is this year’s WESTEC 2009 Exposition, which officials are calling the largest annual machine tool and manufacturing expo in North America. Produced by the Society of Manufacturing Engineers, the 46th annual event, themed “The Pulse of Manufacturing,” begins this Monday, March 30th and will run until Thursday, April 2nd at the Los Angeles Convention Center. The event will give you the chance to look at more than 260 new products and 500 industry leading exhibitors, who will be showcasing state-of-the-art equipment from high speed machining to laser systems and robots. Industries that will be showcased will include medical manufacturing firms. 

This event seems to be arriving at the right time as many companies within the manufacturing industry continue to cut thousands of jobs and shut down their corporations due to a lack of sales and orders for their products. “The Pulse of Manufacturing” exposition will be truly beneficial to manufacturing for it will inform manufacturers, whether they run small job shops or large production facilities, about the latest technology available to them to help them succeed. The expo and the state-of-the-art technology that will be showcased by many firms will also help manufacturing companies stay competitive during our economy’s recession by teaching them about the latest progressive ideas and the hottest trends to make companies more efficient in their manufacturing processes.

Because the WESTEC Exposition connects manufacturing buyers and sellers together, the event will also be a hub that will benefit businesses looking to generate more sales and market their products in the midst of the economic slump. By attending this exposition, you’ll be given the opportunity to reach potential clients, meet with current customers, and establish business relationships that can help you reach your sales goals. Whether you oversee manufacturing within a company or supply manufacturing equipment, this will be a great opportunity to get out there and learn the latest to be able to stay on top. 

Visit www.westeconline.com or call 800.733.4763 if you’d like more information or are interested in attending.

Plan on attending the WESTEC 2009 Exposition? Feel free to let me know about your experience. 

In our current economic slump, many companies are being forced to do whatever they can to keep afloat during these rough times. We hear about many companies attempting to reduce costs by cutting down on the salaries and work hours of many employees,  or even laying off hundreds, and some even thousands, of workers each quarter. And yet, many businesses are still disappearing left and right. This can be especially detrimental to many manufacturing companies, who are constantly trying to match the levels of supply with demand from their customers, especially when their customers are either canceling orders and contracts overnight, or simply just going out of business.

So, what can manufacturing companies do to cut costs, while also trying to get a better handle on their production processes?

Well, take for example Anspach Effort, Inc. As a leader in the medical device manufacturing industry, Anspach has a complex manufacturing operation with more than 1,100 items and 2,000 concurrent production orders. As a provider of devices used in critical, life-saving operations, Anspach’s challenge was to maintain its commitment in providing the best technology and services by ensuring that its manufacturing process and schedule ran its course with high efficiency. Their production processes became even more complicated due to the fact that many times they were required to reschedule production to provide medical devices sooner than originally scheduled. In order to meet the grueling demands of manufacturing, Anspach implemented an APS (Advanced Planning and Scheduling) software into their production process. With APS solutions, manufacturing companies are able to identify and predict demand more clearly, thereby keeping their production on track. For example, when an individual order or entire operation is cancelled or put on hold, the APS system allows you to immediately see the impact of this change on your entire schedule. Furthermore, as a software that is fully capable of integrating with a company’s ERP system, APS solutions can help manufacturers implement “lean manufacturing” into their businesses. It  allows them to follow a build-to-order manufacturing model so that companies don’t have items sitting in inventory, or running out of orders on other items. Anspach, for example, has been able to lower its inventory stock levels by 15% and reduce overtime expenses by 20%. By integrating APS solutions into a business’s production schedule, companies will be able to drive efficient production based on their goals and requirements; thus, putting you and your company one step ahead of others, an ability that can be especially useful during an economic recession. 

Any thoughts on APS solutions? Has your company experienced successful results with an APS software? Feel free to leave any questions or comments.