Co-located R&D and manufacturing fosters innovation at Cook Medical


  • 10 Feb 2017

Cook Medical is one of a few companies in the world to make custom (hand-sewn) aortic stents that aim to improve the outcomes for patients requiring endovascular repair worldwide and is an Australian (Brisbane) manufacturing and medical success story.

The link between innovation and manufacturing is definitely a major reason why Cook Medical manufacturers in Australia, and the company's mission provides another good motivation.

It is no secret that medicine and medical devices can be a complex field, but there is nothing complex about Cook's mission: "Cook is dedicated to bold leadership in pioneering innovative medical solutions to enhance patient care worldwide. That means we're always trying to find a better, simpler, more efficient way to treat patients." It is a mission that every member of the Cook family understands well and keeps firmly in sight.

This mission ties into Cook Medical's decision to manufacture in Australia, and is proud of their employees' dedication to developing products in Australia for patients globally.

There are over 50 in-house engineers constantly working on the products that Cook makes in Australia, and having access to the manufacturing floor during this process is not only beneficial from an innovation perspective but also financial. Costs involved sending engineers to off-shore manufacturing plants to implement changes would be huge, but having them close by means the rate in which you can implement your new innovation is a lot more efficient and cost effective.

An article in the Harvard Business Review recently, stated that manufacturing and R&D are different sides of the same coin. By having both divisions in the same building it creates a constant push-pull operation, whereby innovation in product design (R&D) encourages innovation in manufacturing processes, and innovation in processes encourages innovation in product design, which in turn helps us live up to our global promise which is to deliver improved patient outcomes around the world.

Australia offers everything Cook Medical needs, to produce and supply the highest quality medical device to patients around the world. They are extremely focused on producing quality products and setting the highest standards for our industry, and by operating in Australia Cook Medical can continue living up to their motto of improving patient care around the world.

Source: AusBiotech, 2016


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