Perkasie, Penna. – June 7, 2010 – Secant Medical™, the industry leader in design, development, and custom manufacturing services for biomedical textiles, announces its successful implementation of major Lean Manufacturing process improvements designed to maximize value to medical device clients through more efficient, cost-effective manufacturing of custom products.
Secant Medical's Lean Manufacturing implementation is supported by a 2009 Pennsylvania state grant of $60,000 for Customized Job Training (CJT), which provides Guaranteed Free Training (GFT) through the Workforce and Economic Development Network of Pennsylvania (WEDnetPA), an alliance of educational providers in the state. The company partnered with a number of organizations, including the Department of Community and Economic Development (DCED), Bucks County Community College, and the Delaware Valley Industrial Resource Center (DVIRC), to develop and implement Lean training.
The training programs enable Secant Medical to remain competitive in a market in which suppliers are expected to have a fully implemented Lean Manufacturing system. The company expects to leverage Lean to grow its client base and create new jobs in Pennsylvania. As a result of the state-funded training, Secant Medical identified a number of key operational improvements and cost reductions, and increased manufacturing efficiencies.
"The grant allows us to remain on the cutting edge, retain a highly skilled Pennsylvania labor force, and continue our mission to help save and improve lives," observes Janet Moisey, General Manager of Secant Medical's Commercial Business Group. "We already see important changes in our corporate culture as a result of the Lean Manufacturing training, and we expect strong future growth as our employees become increasingly committed to process improvement. Our clients also value the benefits of Lean as they collaborate with us on training and combined projects to help us develop a Lean enterprise."
Secant Medical continues to plan for broader, enterprise-wide adoption of Lean principles. "Combined with our recently expanded technology and manufacturing capabilities, Secant Medical is well-positioned to meet the changing needs of the medical device industry in both the near- and long-term," adds Moisey.
About Secant Medical:
Secant Medical™, LLC is the leader in custom-developed biomedical textile structures for medical devices, helping customers meet challenges to bring device solutions to market quickly and effectively. Using constantly evolving high-performance metallic and polymeric biomaterials, the company designs the textile structures that client innovations require in developing the next generation orthopedic, cardiovascular, tissue-engineered and neurological devices, and new general surgery resources. Secant Medical is a business unit of Prodesco, Inc., the leader in the design, development and manufacture of engineered fabric structures for the medical, industrial and aerospace industries since 1943. In 2008, Prodesco became part of Fenner PLC, a worldwide leader in reinforced polymer engineering headquartered in Yorkshire, England. For more information, contact Joannie Anthony, at 215-257-8680 , extension 199; email [email protected]; or visit www.secantmedical.com.