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Operations

Helping drive value through operational excellence

In today’s environment of increased competition and focus on cost effectiveness, an effective and agile operations foundation is imperative for growth and sustainability. This includes innovation across the entire value chain—such as effective delivery of major capital projects, capital productivity, asset optimization, network optimization, lean manufacturing, procurement excellence, analytics-driven supply chains, inventory management, product-cost optimization, field-services planning, product design for quality, manufacturability, usability, and more.

For the past 20-plus years, our Operations Practice has helped medtech clients solve their most complex strategic and operational challenges—from diagnosis to implementation. Today it accounts for nearly half of our work across the firm, providing clients with expertise and tailored solutions within compliance and regulatory, product design, supply chain, and manufacturing.

Examples of our work

Network redesign enables more than 50 percent growth

We helped a client redesign its production and supply-chain footprint and operations foundation to achieve its projected market share within 7 years of launch.

60 percent productivity boost through operations strategy and network optimization

Our integrated approach identified 70 percent of a leading device manufacturer’s work as transferable to low-cost locations, simultaneously meeting growing demand in emerging markets.

25 to 35 percent cost reduction for medical-imaging equipment

We leveraged our advanced-analytics capabilities to mine and analyze large amounts of data generated by equipment built-in sensors. Our use of predictive maintenance design helped guide technicians during the diagnostics phase and identify parts most susceptible to failure in the near future.

Design-to-value and design transformation achieve 30 to 50 percent cost reduction

We performed a teardown of two of our client’s products—a complex medical device capital equipment and an ultra-high-volume disposable device. Through this design transformation, we conducted cleansheet cost modeling of key components, in-context user research, and concept generation to evaluate various design-improvement ideas and create multiple intellectual properties.

20 to 40 percent improvement in cost and lead time from lean manufacturing

We worked with a midsize medical-device manufacturer from product development through customer service post launch to streamline operations.

Featured capabilities

We offer a suite of proprietary tools and methodologies to optimize technical systems, develop management infrastructures, and foster right mind-sets and behaviors. Examples of some of these tools we use to supplement our work include:

Medical Device BenchmarkingTM: Diagnostic and transformation tool for manufacturing, supply chain, quality, procurement and organization–featuring 50-plus customizable metrics per module that give insightful recommendations for actionable opportunities.

Model factories: A global network of nine capability centers that offer 150+ online and in-person leadership and skill-building trainings across product development, sourcing, supply-chain management, service operations, and performance management. Learn more about model factories.

Complexity Management Solution Suite: A diagnostic suite using advanced analytics to assess the complexity of a medtech company’s portfolio and value at stake from optimization and improved management, and offer actionable recommendations. It includes tools such as complexity fingerprint, portfolio X-ray, cost-of-complexity calculator, portfolio configuration, and complexity cockpit.

Design to Value (DtV) labs & Cleansheet Solution™: Our centers of engineering expertise where competitor product teardowns and cost modelling are done to strengthen customer centricity and help cut time to market and product costs. Our Cleansheet Solution™ helps establish cost transparency, analyze cost drivers, calculate target cost, and reap these benefits. Learn more about Design to Value and Cleansheet Solution.

Purchasing hubs: Our global sourcing centers located in Brazil, China, Eastern Europe, India, and Mexico that use our Global Sourcing Information Exchange (GSIE) database help identify suppliers in low-cost countries. Learn more about Innovation, Design, & Development, Productivity, Agility, & Automation, and Quality, Compliance, & Remediation.

Featured experts

Max Schlichter
Partner, London
Designs and leads supply-chain transformations for pharmaceutical, consumer-goods, agriculture, and chemical clients
Katy George
Senior Partner, New Jersey
Oversees all people functions across the firm, including diversity and inclusion, and leads client transformation and research...
Steffen Hehner
Senior Partner, Düsseldorf
Leverages background in immunology and long-standing experience in serving health systems and biopharma companies to help clients...

Featured Insights

Article

Implementing a two-invoice system in China’s MedTech market
– The country is rolling out a new approach to pharmaceutical distribution. What can medical-device companies expect, and how should... they prepare?
Article

Ops 4.0: Fueling the next 20 percent productivity rise with digital analytics
– Business needs to raise productivity more than ever. Thanks to innovations in digitization and analytics, four new methodologies... can yield the productivity breakthroughs organizations need.
Article

Manufacturing’s next act
– Industry 4.0 is more than just a flashy catchphrase. A confluence of trends and technologies promises to reshape the way things... are made.

How we help clients