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There is no denying that how we engage with each other and our work has changed in recent years. The pandemic spurred new means to conduct business, new ways to communicate with customers and new challenges to confront, all of which have called for deepened relationships and a greater focus on transparency with our external partners.
Our Lessons for Success in the December issue highlights relationships throughout the orthopedic supply chain. We discuss how device companies can best select and manage their contract manufacturers and service providers, and how OEMs can be excellent hospital vendors. Device companies face detailed requirements for vetting suppliers, and the work doesn’t stop after the approval process. Supplier performance data must be captured and monitored. Similarly, hospitals have high expectations and detailed measurements for their device company vendors. Our experts note that while regulatory and regimented requirements are often carried out as part of these contracts, characteristics like transparency, reliability and strong communication make these relationships true partnerships.
The BONEZONE Advisory Board had the following advice on vetting and building relationships with suppliers.
“Look for a long-term integrated partnership that works through the product introduction cycle (prototype to production to optimization). The prototyping phase is the best place for everyone to learn and introduce design for manufacturability.” — Jeff Tyber, Founder, President and CEO, Tyber Medical
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“Make sure your supplier is ready and willing to openly share price transparency with you, i.e., a breakdown of their material, labor and overhead. That makes for a true partnership.” — Jody Scrivner, Senior Manager, Sourcing, Stryker
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“In these days of Webex meetings and tight travel budgets, it is still very important for the team to visit suppliers onsite to evaluate their capabilities and build a stronger relationship.” — Howard Levy, Vice President Global Sourcing, Zimmer Biomet
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“Product launch schedules are critical in the current environment. One late suppler can delay the entire launch of a new product line and the revenue it’s expected to generate. It’s important to evaluate a supplier’s capability to understand and predict capacity and lead-times, including considerations for second-tier suppliers and raw material availability.” — Dale Tempco, Industry Consultant
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When it comes to the orthopedic device company-to-hospital relationship, Denise Odenkirk, Vice President of Supplier Sales at GHX, notes that OEMs need to keep raising the bar on their performance and, in turn, their customer relationships. Supply chains will always face obstacles, she says. Companies that execute flexibility, evolve with industry trends and maintain their focus on operational excellence will ultimately be the ones that prevail.
Our advice on supplier relationships is positioned directly alongside our annual Supplier & Service Provider Directory. This issue includes 200+ companies that offer a diverse range of manufacturing capabilities and business solutions specifically to meet the needs of orthopedic device companies. We hope that our Supplier Directory is a valuable resource as you identify and build strong relationships in 2022.
