Biomedical Engineering Reference
In-Depth Information
If your device is heavy (>25 kg or >50 lb) you will need to consider lifting/handling
arrangements:
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Can it be easily handled by two people?
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Will it need lifting with specialist equipment?
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Will it need to be delivered on a pallet?
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Can the package incorporate wheels for ease of movement?
Your device may move from place to place (such as equipment on a loan or trial basis). In this
case your packaging must cope with transportation, packing, unpacking, and repacking. Not
only does this take a toll on the packaging but it also tests your package design…after all, do
you want to receive a ballooning box that is bulging with its contents just because you forgot
to supply packaging instructions to help someone repack it properly?
The last thing to consider is where your device is going to be stored. Will it be
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dry?
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damp?
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hot?
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cold?
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dusty?
The location of an item, while waiting to be dispatched, is often forgotten!
10.4 Procurement
At some stage you are going to have to order your devices. You will now face the sticky
question of how many to order. You must work closely with your marketing team to produce a
procurement strategy. There are two main pitfalls to avoid:
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having stock on a shelf in a warehouse
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having no stock at all
The former simply ties up liquid assets in stock. While it is nice to see wall-to-wall boxes
of stock and say to yourself “look at that, one million dollars sits there,” it is better to have
sold the one million dollars' worth of stock! Having no stock at all is in fact worse as you
will not be able to fulfill orders and this may lead to the embarrassing situation of a cancelled
procedure. This you must avoid at all costs.
Why does this affect your supply chain? If you work well with your sales department you
can build a good delivery model and hence be able to work with your supply chain in a
number of ways. If possible, you may be able to run a “just in time” system with them.
But what you must avoid is securing a supplier who can work with batch sizes of 20 per
month, only to start ordering 50 per month. This way madness lies. As batch sizes increase,
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