The Market

The medical device industry sector encompasses an extremely large variety of products and technologies. It covers hundreds of thousands of products that range from traditional bandages and medical plastics eg. syringes, to sophisticated implantable devices that incorporate medical electronics, biomaterials, telematics and nanotechnology. Devices are increasingly used by doctors, patients and healthy individuals in a variety of settings including hospitals, surgeries and private homes.

The medical device market is growing rapidly due to factors such as the development of new technology, increased patient awareness, the need for an enhanced quality of life in an ageing population and the drive to reduce health and social care costs. These drivers are stimulating the development of a wide range of sophisticated new products from point-of-care diagnostic instruments to sub-miniature 'smart' implants. The drive to develop new devices is putting an increasing strain on materials and assembly technology, particularly with respect to the design of products able to operate reliably for their design life yet be produced at a reasonable cost.