Avril 2006

Confronted by increasing customer demands for quality, faster response, higher service levels, stricter government regulations, and the escalating complexity of their global supply chains, medical device manufacturers that overlook the competitive potential and investment needs of their service businesses do so at their own peril.

As the basis of competition in medical device manufacturing continues its shift towards service excellence - the ability to drive business performance through excellence in services - their competitiveness will increasingly be at risk. While aging demographics and emerging markets are creating a growing demand for more and better health care solutions, and technological advances create new innovation opportunities, mergers and acquisitions, cost pressures, and ever-more vigilant regulatory compliance requirements are forcing medical device manufacturers to rethink their overall business models and the impact of the service revolution. Our research suggests that to survive and prosper, medical service strategies and operations management to design and optimize the service business - supported by well-established business processes and maturing technologies. While the demands on the service business are great, the rewards for service excellence are even greater.

Competitive pressures on margins and growth are unrelenting. For medical device companies looking to drive sustainable and profitable growth, the service business is a logical avenue. With profitability and growth levels in many cases far exceeding the main business, it is abundantly clear that the service revolution in the global medical device industry is well underway as customers demand comprehensive "services for life". For most manufacturers, the decision is becoming clear: embrace the service revolution or risk being left behind.

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