Enabling Innovation for Medtech Worldwide
Switzerland’s medical technology sector has a global footprint, impacting patients around the world. The country tops the rankings for the sector’s contribution to gross domestic product (GDP), with 2.6 percent of Swiss GDP stemming from medtech. With a rich history and reputation for precision technology expertise, Switzerland is well-poised to further R&D and production in medical technologies. Companies such as Johnson & Johnson Medical, Roche Diagnostics, Medtronic, Ypsomed, Medacta, Straumann, and Valtronic selected Switzerland as their base for operations, and continue to value Switzerland for fostering innovation, research, development, and production in the sector.
Switzerland has a combination of first-class research institutions and unparalleled productivity within the medtech sector. The country is the most attractive destination globally for highly qualified foreign workers. Rainer Platz, CEO of Valtronic, a full-service medical device contract manufacturer headquartered in Switzerland, stated, “Our highly skilled employees are the backbone of our company, and our passionate technical experts truly understand the needs of the medical industry. They are dedicated to producing the highest quality devices for our clients.”
Platz also mentioned the benefits of being based within Switzerland’s medtech cluster, “The ability to successfully collaborate and cooperate with other players in the industry in Switzerland is a critical piece to promoting innovation. Manufacturers outside Switzerland would have a difficult time finding the same level of expertise and high density of industry-specific suppliers, service providers, and manufacturers. There is a strong medtech cluster and thriving ecosystem, beneficial to not only the large-scale companies like Roche, but also to small, medium-sized enterprises (SMEs), like Valtronic.”
The vast majority of companies within the sector are considered SMEs, with up to 93 percent of companies employing less than 250 people. Although the company sizes may be deemed SMEs, Switzerland’s life science industry has the highest level of productivity per employee, further encouraging international companies to base operations in Switzerland.
Exceptional productivity and an innovative mind-set are particularly essential when developing techniques and medical technologies that enable trends such as minimally invasive surgery. When going under the knife, fear can be crippling for patients. The ability to have minimally invasive surgery (surgery performed through tiny incisions instead of large openings), is not only beneficial for the patient’s psychological health, but also rapid recovery times, smaller scarring areas, and less pain than a traditional open surgery.
Valtronic has more than 35 years of experience in turnkey devices, microelectronic assemblies, and miniaturization. It dedicates 90 percent of activities to medical devices with expertise in extreme electronic miniaturization and complete manufacturing and assembly of box builds and complex mechatronic equipment. It enables solutions to further push the boundaries of miniaturization and to follow necessary societal trends such as patient care at home. The company is full-service, offering research and development on behalf of clients’ customized solutions, as well as industrialization, manufacturing, and full supply chain management. Platz said, “We enable our clients to innovate and improve their products for next-generation solutions, particularly with device size reduction and miniaturization. These solutions are cutting-edge, at the forefront of innovation, and not standard off-the-shelf technology. Clients come to us with specific needs, and we offer them solutions. With the infrastructure of SMEs, Switzerland is a good place to find the right people to assist with micro-machinery and micro-mechanics. Switzerland is the birthplace of watchmaking, the original industry dedicated to extreme miniaturization and precision technology. Valtronic, and medical technology in general, is all about making things smaller and less invasive – in every sense of the word. For instance, implants can never be small enough. The expertise found in Switzerland simply cannot be compared to anywhere else in the world. We are able to fully utilize Switzerland’s excellent ecosystem to form dedicated solutions and convert them into final products for our customers. Our expertise allows our clients to launch their next innovative product.”
Switzerland is among the highest spenders on its healthcare system per capita, and the domestic market is receptive to innovative technologies increasing the effectiveness and efficiency of care. Although the local market is important, the medtech sector is predominately export-driven. The top export market for Swiss medtech is the USA, with over CHF 3.3 billion in 2019. Valtronic has a global footprint and continues to invest heavily. The company already has global manufacturing facilities in Switzerland, the USA (Cleveland, Ohio), and Morocco. Platz mentioned, “As an SME, we have huge potential for organic growth. We will continue to leverage our multiple sites and further expand in the USA, aiming to attract additional American clients.”
Platz continued, “We enable our partners to improve patients’ quality of life through medical device innovation, development, and manufacturing at the highest quality standards. We develop and manufacture devices to be smaller, lighter, better performing, and innovative. As a complete solutions provider, we can offer our clients optimized production costs, on-time delivery, and reduced time-to-market. Valtronic makes contributions to cutting-edge medical technology, and this is something we are extremely proud of, helping hundreds of thousands of patients with state-of-the-art advanced therapies.”