Memry Touts Virtues Of Vertical Integration
You don’t hear many companies bragging about their vertically integrated operations. In fact, the concept has fallen out of favour, as evidenced by firms rushing to outsource all but their core business activities. Global supplier of nitinol-based products Memry begs to differ. Rallying under the slogan “from melt to market,” the company finds immense value in consolidating processes and controlling its technology. “Vertical integration is the core of our business model,” Nicola Di Bartolomeo, CEO of Memry, unabashedly told medtechinsider during an interview at MD&M East in New York.
“Nickel titanium is not stainless steel . . . it is not a commodity material,” stresses Di Bartolomeo. “Nitinol is a unique material that is difficult to melt and to work. It is an alloy with which we manufacture wires, tubes and sheet to make a plethora of components. Having available the scientific knowledge and engineering expertise that allows us to process the material effectively is critical,” says Di Bartolomeo. “Vertical integration gives us control of the technology and allows us to effectively leverage nitinol as an enabling technology.” It also allows the company to devote appropriate resources to materials development and rapidly bring new products to market. One such example is a nitinol-based alloy that Memry introduced at MD&M East last week.
The NiTiCo alloy was developed at the behest of a customer who wanted to overcome certain limitations of standard nitinol-based guidewire design. “We added cobalt to the formulation, which allowed our customer to improve properties such as torque transmission and overall guidewire support,” explains Di Bartolomeo.
he material combines the elasticity of nickel titanium with a 40% increase in modulus. It provides OEMs with new opportunities to enhance the design of next-generation devices, according to Memry.
Standard materials also benefit from Memry’s consolidation of expertise and “melt-to-market” oversight, adds Di Bartolomeo. The search for cleaner materials is an important development project for SAES Getters, which acquired Memry in September 2008. Materials suppliers must be able to control the formation of inclusions during the production process, says Di Bartolomeo. “As devices continue to shrink in size, reducing inclusions becomes ever more critical. Impurities can lead to crack initiation and impact the overall fatigue life of devices,” he cautions.
Italian advanced material company SAES Getters and sister company SAES Smart Materials have more than 25 years of experience melting, drawing and forming nitinol. Vertical integration is key to building on that quarter century of success, maintains Di Bartolomeo. “It’s important to understand that vertical integration does not mean a closed system,” he stresses. “For example, we sell materials to companies that compete with us in manufacturing wires, tubes and components. What we mean by vertical integration is maintaining control of the technology and continuing to create opportunities for innovation,” says Di Bartolomeo.
Norbert Sparrow
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“Nickel titanium is not stainless steel . . . it is not a commodity material,” stresses Di Bartolomeo. “Nitinol is a unique material that is difficult to melt and to work. It is an alloy with which we manufacture wires, tubes and sheet to make a plethora of components. Having available the scientific knowledge and engineering expertise that allows us to process the material effectively is critical,” says Di Bartolomeo. “Vertical integration gives us control of the technology and allows us to effectively leverage nitinol as an enabling technology.” It also allows the company to devote appropriate resources to materials development and rapidly bring new products to market. One such example is a nitinol-based alloy that Memry introduced at MD&M East last week.
The NiTiCo alloy was developed at the behest of a customer who wanted to overcome certain limitations of standard nitinol-based guidewire design. “We added cobalt to the formulation, which allowed our customer to improve properties such as torque transmission and overall guidewire support,” explains Di Bartolomeo.
he material combines the elasticity of nickel titanium with a 40% increase in modulus. It provides OEMs with new opportunities to enhance the design of next-generation devices, according to Memry.
Standard materials also benefit from Memry’s consolidation of expertise and “melt-to-market” oversight, adds Di Bartolomeo. The search for cleaner materials is an important development project for SAES Getters, which acquired Memry in September 2008. Materials suppliers must be able to control the formation of inclusions during the production process, says Di Bartolomeo. “As devices continue to shrink in size, reducing inclusions becomes ever more critical. Impurities can lead to crack initiation and impact the overall fatigue life of devices,” he cautions.
Italian advanced material company SAES Getters and sister company SAES Smart Materials have more than 25 years of experience melting, drawing and forming nitinol. Vertical integration is key to building on that quarter century of success, maintains Di Bartolomeo. “It’s important to understand that vertical integration does not mean a closed system,” he stresses. “For example, we sell materials to companies that compete with us in manufacturing wires, tubes and components. What we mean by vertical integration is maintaining control of the technology and continuing to create opportunities for innovation,” says Di Bartolomeo.
Norbert Sparrow
Grab pragmatic information about the topic of free website traffic – please make sure to go through the publication. The time has come when proper information is truly only one click of your mouse, use this possibility.