By: Deborah Johnson Wood
Seven West Michigan medical device manufacturers recently formed a coalition, West Michigan Medical Device Consortium (WMMDC), to encourage collaboration, help leverage individual strengths, and grow their businesses. The West Michigan Science and Technology Initiative (WMSTI), part of Grand Valley State University, is putting together the strategic plan and helping the consortium get off the ground.
"The whole point is to collaborate so [the supply chain] never has to go outside of Michigan," says Kim Bode, WMSTI marketing director. "We're hoping by getting together these powerhouses of medical device manufacturing we can become a huge source for medical device manufacturing."
Powerhouses attract powerhouses. The group—ATEK Medical, Autocam Medical, Cascade Life Solutions, Emerald Medical Devices and Supplies, Inrad, MedBio, and Surge Medical—is collectively worth over $100 million. Since forming the WMMDC, 15 other manufacturers worth another $150 million want in.
It's a package deal that makes doing business in West Michigan easy by bringing together, say, one company that is strong in product design and another whose strength is regulatory affairs. The key is to market all their competencies together, so suppliers and customers can see what West Michigan companies have to offer.
"Initially, our approach is going to be to major OEMs in neighboring states," Bode says. "We'll bring their business into Michigan. Ultimately this will build sales and jobs. That's our goal."
Source: Kim Bode, West Michigan Science and Technology Initiative; Karen Hogan, Seyferth, Spaulding, Tennyson, Inc.
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Deborah Johnson Wood is development news editor for Rapid Growth Media. She can be contacted at [email protected].
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