🎧 New tech allows more customisation in growth sector

Like other industries, the UK medical devices sector was heavily disrupted during the Covid pandemic. But in contrast with many, it initially saw a surge in demand for many products, followed by a lull as demand pressures eased. It has now recovered from the 2022 downturn and is resuming annualised growth of over 5%. By Will Stirling

The UK medical devices market, worth over €17bn a year, is the third-largest in Europe, after Germany (€41bn) and France (€31bn) and ranks number six in the world. The size of the market itself is not automatically reflected in the size of its manufacturing sector. The Republic of Ireland, for example, punches well above its market weight in terms of production and is second only to Germany as a European exporter of medical technology. Many companies have opened operations in Ireland in recent years, either production operations or sales and service hubs. These include robot producers KUKA and FANUC, who used to serve the Irish market mainly from their UK bases.

The UK has over 3,000 active device manufacturers and has a strong reputation for orthopaedic, imaging, diagnostics and cardiovascular devices. The market itself is projected to grow by around 5.6% annually from 2024 to 2028, and to reach a value of $22.68bn by then. The total includes in vitro diagnostics but physical medical devices account for over 90% .

Growth is being driven primarily by two factors: customer preference (hopes for improved outcomes) and an ageing population, which requires devices such as artificial joints, mobility aids and home healthcare equipment. 

Regulatory advantage 

The UK is becoming an attractive place for non-EU companies to base operations, with the introduction of the new European Medical Device Regulation Directive, according to reports in the pharmaceutical press, such as pharmaforum . The UK still operates under consolidated regulations which, it is argued, provide a less complex route to market entry. Further help comes from the recently launched MedTech strategy, which aims to encourage and stimulate new medical technologies. In 2020, Scotland’s Medical Device Manufacturing Centre (MDMC) was opened with £3.7m from Scottish Enterprise’s Advancing Manufacturing Challenge Fund and several universities in Aberdeen, Edinburgh and Glasgow. It focuses on supporting healthcare SMEs with innovation and product development.

OEMs, contract manufacturing and device production

Medical device manufacturers generally fall under one of two headings. Those that manufacture their own devices and those that offer a contract manufacturing service. The term ‘medical devices’ covers an array of products, from drug dispensing to CAT scanning equipment, and therapeutic beds. The focus here is on ‘hard’ medical devices, such as surgical instruments and orthopaedic implants.

At one end of the age spectrum are young people needing dental braces; at the other, the leading surgical requirement for over-50s globally is replacement joints – hips, especially. Several of Europe’s top 50 manufacturers of artificial knees and hips have locations in Great Britain and Ireland, including Smith & Nephew, Stryker and Corin Group. 

Smith & Nephew’s Redapt cup was its first 3D printed titanium hip implant. It chose additive manufacturing in order to produce an entirely porous implant, which mimics the structure of cancellous or spongy bone – the softer bone type that is typically found at the ends of long bones, like hips. 

A habit of innovation 

Product innovation is the lifeblood of medical device manufacture. Swann-Morton, founded in 1932 and based in Sheffield, was initially established to make razor blades. Within a few years it became, and has remained, a leading supplier of surgical instruments to the NHS. In the 1960s, in collaboration with the United Kingdom Atomic Energy Authority at Wantage, it developed a sterilisation process using cobalt-60 gamma radiation and built one of the first commercial plants of its kind in the world. More recently, it introduced the KLEEN Blade Management System, which allows for safe attachment and removal of surgical blades from standard handles and the Surgical Blade Remover, which facilitates safe removal of scalpel blades from handles. Swann-Morton’s products, which include approximately 70 different blade shapes and 30 handle designs, are used by surgeons, GPs, nurses, paramedics as well as practitioners in dentistry, podiatry and veterinary surgery.

Williams Medical Supplies, based in Rhymney, Wales, is the largest supplier to general practices in the UK. It manufactures and retails medical products ranging from surgical instruments to pharmaceuticals. Rocket Medical has a manufacturing base in Washington, Tyne & Wear, an office in Watford and presence in The Netherlands, Germany, USA, Australia and New Zealand. It designs, develops, and manufactures single-use medical devices for various clinical areas, including cardiothoracic, ascites drainage, infertility, and colorectal procedures. In 2019, it invested in a new  quality control system from software company Lynq, which enabled it to manage production and inventory more effectively and helped with its growth path. 

Founded in 1979, JRI Orthopaedics of Sheffield originally distributed hip replacements before going into manufacture, recently marked a milestone with its 100th A3GT total knee replacement. The company also recently celebrated a 100% survival rate of its Furlong H-A.C femoral stem, an implant for aseptic loosening at 27 to 32 years. The device has ceramic coating and was designed especially for younger patients.

Milling, moulding and additive manufacturing

‘Hard’ devices, such as implants especially, are produced either by traditional milling, moulding or additive manufacturing. Attenborough Medical, which was established in 1913, has invested heavily in 3D medical imaging scanning and custom manufacturing techniques to produce implants specifically designed for individual patients. Europlaz, one of the UK’s leading medical equipment manufacturers, injection moulds medical grade polymers. It has cleanroom manufacturing facilities covering over 9,500 of its 60,000sq/ft manufacturing area, which also includes 24 injection moulding machines with capacities from 10 to 300 tonnes. 

Traditional strengths

The continued importance of traditional milling is demonstrated by companies like Oracle Precision, which manufactures reconstructive medical devices, associated instrumentation and ancillary components. “CNC machining makes it possible to produce artificial joints that perfectly fit the patient, giving improved outcomes with joints that last and are biocompatible,” Oracle said. Oracle uses CNC machining on materials including stainless steel, titanium, medical polymers, elastomers and composites. It offers both one-off and batch medical machining and a full list of technologies: 4 and 5-axis milling, 2D and 3D machining, CNC turning and CMM inspection.

LUBE-FREE BEARINGS GOOD FOR MEDICAL APPLICATIONS

Medical technology is becoming lighter, more compact and modular and many medical devices need bearings. igus bearings and linear guides are designed for flexible adjustments and its energy chain systems for safe cable guidance are specially

designed for medical applications. These products can be found in X-ray robots, laboratory devices, patient and treatment chairs, hospital beds and prostheses. They are resistant to chemicals, lubrication-free and maintenance-free and therefore offer maximum wearability in daily use. High loads such as shocks must be safely absorbed, and intensive care requires particularly reliable systems with easy and precise adjustability. Safety and ease-of-use are prioritised as all igus medical products are cleanroom compatible, media-resistant, and quiet – to meet high medical standards.