The single most important thing manufacturing leaders can do to engage their employees is to share the ‘why’ behind their daily work, says Kathleen Skarvan, CEO at New Prague, MN-based Electromed—Quality’s 2021 Plant of the Year.

Vaccines are being rolled out across the globe. The process is occurring faster in some areas than others, sure, but the fact that a vaccine is being distributed at all means that the worst is behind us and that everything will go back to normal. Right?

Businesses worldwide are being tested in a crucible of quality. Companies in which quality was already fragile and inefficient have seen their processes go from lacking to completely broken during the COVID-19 crisis.

Anyone involved in medical device manufacturing knows that their industry is highly regulated. Almost every medical device manufacturer or pharmaceutical supplier uses materials testing systems in their quality control and research laboratories or outsources their testing to approved third-party laboratories. 

Medical devices can present unique challenges for manufacturers. Consequences for malfunctioning equipment can be dire. Because of this, medical device manufacturers must work hard to ensure that their products never fail.

Quality 4.0 derived from Industry 4.0, also known as the fourth industrial revolution. Prior to the fourth revolution, the first revolution started with machine manufacturing, steam power, and the move to cities by agriculturalists. 

The medical industry is one of the fastest growing industries in the world today, with the U.S reaching a market cap of $156 billion.

Quality is often misunderstood. More specifically, the benefits of a well implemented quality management system (QMS) are not universally known and appreciated, and that can cost lives. Conversely, when executives and manufacturing personnel understand the benefits of a QMS, patient outcomes improve, the quality of life is enhanced, and manufacturers prosper.

All health care-related fields are growing, and the same is true for applications that test medical instruments and materials.

Computed tomography (CT) scanning is one of the most advanced measurement technologies available today for medical device manufacturers and molders.