Scaling production in medical device manufacturing often means heavy investments in equipment, personnel, and time. But what if you could achieve exponential gains with none of that?
One medical device manufacturer did exactly that — increasing production capacity fivefold through smart, strategic process simplification, not capital expenditure.
The company produces implantable devices made of PDMS (polydimethylsiloxane) micropillars infused with magnetic powder. These flexible pillars respond to external magnetic fields and require high-precision processing.
Demand was rising, but the production capacity was limited. The conventional response was predictable: buy more equipment and hire additional staff.
Rather than expanding infrastructure, the company engaged PRIZ to explore a smarter solution. Using functional modeling, PRIZ mapped the entire medical device manufacturing process to uncover inefficiencies.
What emerged was a powerful insight:
A redundant cleaning step was consuming valuable time and resources, all due to the initial mold configuration.
PRIZ proposed a subtle yet high-impact change: adjust the mold design to eliminate the source of contamination. This modification:
This was a textbook case of process simplification delivering high-leverage outcomes.
“Instead of scaling resources, we redefined the process — and multiplied output.”
In an industry where quality, compliance, and speed are non-negotiable, medical device manufacturing must evolve beyond brute-force scaling. This success story proves that process simplification can deliver a scalable impact, especially when guided by structured innovation.
