Midwest Hotbed for Medical Device Manufacturing

OEMs looking to strengthen the ROI of their medical devices might benefit from exploring one rising hotbed for medical device manufacturing: Indiana. The state’s central location, relatively low cost of doing business, and strong life sciences climate make it a powerful combination, reports BioFutures.

A few attributes unique to the Indiana market make it particularly attractive to medical device manufacturers.

Niche Collaborative Contract Manufacturing Partners

Indiana is filled with niche contract manufacturing partners supporting medical device and life science production. From orthopedics and diagnostics to neuroscience, instrumentation and beyond, contract manufacturing partners are helping to develop, design, manufacture, assemble, pack and market life-saving devices shipped all over the world.

Through precision CNC machining and assembly of custom medical components and devices, Indiana-based GMI Corporation is a go-to partner for OEMs and has been creating long-term contract manufacturing partnerships for over 30 years.

A Data-Driven Perspective

Indiana is home to the nation’s largest health information exchange and the first-of-its-kind 5G Zone, designed to drive testing and development of 5G-enabled technologies.

At the Indiana Connected Health IoT Lab, various sectors (e.g. pharma, manufacturing, insurance, health IT, and more) convene to collaborate on emerging, health IoT technologies. The Regenstrief Institute boasts more than 20 scientists working on numerous health-data-centered initiatives, and the Indiana Data Hub provides a repository of data “available for analysis, collaboration and innovation,” reports BioFutures.

These examples are just a taste of the vast life sciences ecosystem in the state. Altogether, “Indiana has demonstrated a data-driven perspective that others have only recently grasped,” said Euan Cameron, CEO of Cohesion Medical based in Glasgow, Scotland.

A Logistics Powerhouse

With “Crossroads of America” as its official motto, Indiana is a logistics powerhouse, with nine interstates converging in Indianapolis plus the presence of the second largest FedEx hub in the nation. For OEMs, that adds up to faster, more efficient distribution of products.

Dallas-based Life Science Logistics is among the companies moving to Indiana to take advantage of those efficiencies. “Indiana in general is a great state for distribution, being centrally located to the U.S. population,” said John Blackington, the company’s business development director, to BioFutures. “We can reach about 80% of the population on the ground within a couple of days.”

Heavy Investment in Research, Innovation and Talent

Indiana’s heavy investment in research, talent and collaboration in life sciences is apparent in the rapid growth of startups and mid-tier companies in the state. In 2019, Indiana’s major universities drew record funding for life sciences research, and a record number of Indiana life sciences companies secured venture capital funding, reported BioFutures.

OEMs note that working with medical device contract services in Indiana is considerably “less expensive than places like Cambridge, San Diego and San Francisco.”

“We have seen first-hand how Indiana innovations are changing the lives of patients here and around the globe,” shared Kristin Jones, president and CEO of the Indiana Health Industry Forum.

“Whether your company is well established or just entering the market, Indiana offers a collaborative, supportive, interactive and dynamic community that operates at the highest international standards and capacities.”