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Headquartered in the Lake Geneva region, Switzerland, Valtronic is a contract manufacturer of miniaturized electronic products for medical devices. The company also has manufacturing facilities in Casablanca, Morocco, and in Cleveland, Ohio, in the United States.
Jay Wimer is the executive vice president of the Valtronic Group, and president and CEO of Valtronic USA. He also serves as director of the Advanced Electronics Technology Center in the United States. In an interview with I-Connect007, he discusses the impact of the medical market on the electronics manufacturing industry, the challenges facing medical electronics manufacturers and technology providers, and how the trends happening in the medical electronics segment are driving innovation in electronics manufacturing.
Stephen Las Marias: How has the medical electronics industry evolved over the past decade, and what major changes have you witnessed?
Jay Wimer: Ten years ago, OEMs were chasing lower costs in other countries for manufacturing. Most recently, we are finding OEMs willing to build/manufacture medical electronics in the United States due to lower total costs.
Las Marias: How do you get to become an approved or qualified supplier or manufacturer for medical electronics?
Wimer: By demonstrating your ability to fulfil a customer’s need and provide solutions, as well as pass a customer quality audit.
Las Marias: Overall, what can you say about the impact that the medical market has on the electronics manufacturing industry?
Wimer: The biggest impact that the medical market has had on the electronics manufacturing industry is quality systems due to the regulations of medical devices.
Las Marias: Are there regulatory standards that you have to comply with?
Wimer: CGMPs, Current Good Manufacturing Practices, which lead to ISO certifications 9001 and 13485.
Las Marias: From your perspective, what are the biggest challenges when it comes to medical electronics manufacturing?
Wimer: The major challenge we face today is cost, from an internal standpoint, and from a customer standpoint, it depends on what they are willing to pay for. ObamaCare’s presence in the market has led to medical companies being more cost-conscious than ever.
Editor's Note: This article originally appeared in the January 2016 issue of SMT Magazine.
