Device Link -- One important piece of the puzzle when manufacturing a medical device is the package that contains it. And, of course, a finished medical device isn’t much good to an end user if it’s not sterile. So, how can a med-tech OEM be confident that the packaging being used is sound and that the products are adequately sterilised? For some firms, it makes sense to invest in the necessary packaging and sterilisation equipment and employ an expert staff to oversee these operations. “I fully understand the concept of vertical integration to optimise and cut costs,” says Leonardo Maghetti, Managing Director of S.I.F.RA. Est SpA (Trieste, Italy; www.sifraest.com). “But when the strategy to keep everything in house ends up involving activities that are not the company’s core business, it is usually preferable to outsource.”
