A high-precision mould for medical consumables: the cost-effective choice?

Earlier this year, IGS GeboJagema hit a milestone: we delivered our 50th mould for a medical consumables project that started in 2003. Though our company is mostly known for moulds for drug delivery devices and ophthalmic products, we have been helping clients produce a wide range of high-quality consumables for over twenty years. This might surprise some readers, given the cost-driven nature of consumables. But in fact, for many projects a high-precision mould is the most economical choice.

Small changes, big impact

With single-use products such as consumables, every second and every cent count. Especially when volumes go past seven figures, seemingly small optimizations can have a large impact on a project’s bottom line. For example, a slight reduction in cycle time can save hundreds of hours of production time each year. By putting a price on those hours, we can calculate whether investing in that optimized cycle time is a financially sound decision. The same is true for many other factors such as the plastic required per shot or the cost and frequency of maintenance and refurbishment. The financial impact of each of these factors needs to be taken into account to choose the most suitable mould for any project.

A substantiated choice with our TCO tool

Of course, cost calculations can become quite complex. To give our clients more insight into their investment options, we recently created a renewed Total Cost of Ownership software tool. This calculation module allows us to enter relevant variables, such as cycle time, labour costs, planned downtime for maintenance and more. The tool then provides an overview of the total costs of ownership and the monetized benefits. This makes it easy to find out whether an optimized, high-precision mould makes financial sense.

Perfect for complex consumables

Of course, not all consumable projects will benefit from a high-precision mould. IGS GeboJagema focuses on consumables that have some degree of complexity. That’s when our dedication to extreme precision pays off for our clients. For instance, we often deliver moulds for assembled consumables that consist of two or more components. Because these products are assembled by machines, they tend to require low tolerances. Examples include IV caps, test cartridges and Luer-Locks.

Consumables with integrated optics

At the crossroads of healthcare and ophthalmic, another IGS GeboJagema specialty can be found: ‘smart’ consumables with integrated optics. These consumables are used for diagnostics in point of care devices: the so-called lab-on-a-chip solutions. Such devices allow for tests results that are much faster than lab tests. Of course, the reliability of the test is of paramount importance, meaning that quality is a major factor for these products. This makes a high-precision mould an absolute must.

Our best kept secret

The high-precision moulds we deliver for medical consumables might be IGS GeboJagema’s best kept secret. But even for commodity products, a high-precision mould can be the key to minimising your total cost of ownership. Moreover, based on our vast experience with the strict procedures required for healthcare and our optical expertise, our team can create the best possible solution for smart optical consumables as well.

Interested to know how we can help you? We are happy to discuss your needs and share our expertise in a design study for your product, so don’t hesitate to get in touch.