Valtronic

PUSHING THE BOUNDARIES OF MEDICAL DEVICES

VALTRONIC

Enhancing Life

Valtronic continues to reset the boundaries of possibility within the medical device space, the contract manufacturer renowned for its formidable pool of industry skills and knowledge Writer: Tom Wadlow | Project Manager: Matthew Taylor

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MANUFACTURING

There is no excitement without challenges. And there is nothing worse or more boring than keeping doing the same things the same way month after month and year after year.”

The words of Rainer Platz could not speak more truly of the mantra adopted by Valtronic, the company he currently leads.

A Swiss-based contract manufacturer of medical devices, it has been at the forefront of innovation in this ever-evolving domain within healthcare ever since it was formed in 1982.

“At Valtronic, our business model and positioning has us continuously exposed to some of the most exciting technologies and therapies at the

forefront of our customers’ innovation roadmaps,” Platz continues. “It is amazing to be part of an industry that improves therapies and patients’ quality of life year over year. What has been impossible only a few years ago is becoming the standard of care.”

Platz himself has enjoyed a career immersed in technology and innovation.

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VALTRONIC He joined Valtronic in 2015 and is now something of a medical device industry veteran – but despite being in this area for two decades, it was not necessarily a path he was destined to take.

“I have always been broadly interested in many things, from humanities over music to science,” Platz says. “My IN FOCUS

ACTIVE IMPLANTS Active implants are medical devices intended to be totally or partially introduced or implanted into the human body – they are referred to as active because electronics driven by internal or external power supplies are part of the system.

Examples, among many others, include cardiac pacemakers, implantable infusion pumps, ventricular assist devices or neurostimulation devices that stimulate nerves to manage pain, treat different pathologies (like tremor control for Parkinson’s disease) or allow profoundly deaf patients to hear again (cochlear implants).

Valtronic has been a leader in this subsector for several decades.

The company houses the required miniaturisation expertise and quality management systems to produce the highest quality implant devices for its customers.

“In the future, implants will certainly help more patients suffering from chronic pain or chronic diseases. It is an exciting and strongly growing market segment,” Platz says.

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PhD was in semiconductor technology, so at that time healthcare and medical technologies were not necessarily my focus.

“The one thing that has always been a driver in my life was to do something meaningful, and that is what I found when I started working as a project leader for a medical device company 20 years ago – it is an area that I have never left since.”

Today he is responsible for steering Valtronic forwards. The company stands as a leading manufacturer of medical devices covering the full product lifecycle, from design and development to manufacturing on behalf of its OEM clients.

The name literally translates to valley of electronics, its 350-plus employees being spread across its base in the Greater Geneva area, North America hub in Ohio, USA, and manufacturing facility in Morocco. Its customers are OEMs of all sizes who generally demand highly complex devices produced in low-to-mid volumes, all to exacting standards and with enormous levels of quality control.

SETTING THE STANDARD Interestingly, the company also applies its capabilities to non-medical fields where advanced microelectronics are required.

This is testament to the wealth of knowledge and skills contained within the organisation, a facet which Platz believes stands Valtronic apart.

“Valtronic specialises in two areas,” he explains. “Firstly, we have decades of experience and track record in extremely miniaturised electronic assemblies. Our engineers know how to reduce board space using literally all three dimensions, and our production technicians and operators know how to build the corresponding products to the highest quality standards. Both disciplines

Dyconex Highly reliable ultra-HDI multilayer flex PCBs for miniaturised medical devices DYCONEX, a company of the MST group, is a leading provider of highly complex flexible, rigid-flex and rigid ultra-HDI/microvia PCBs, LCP and chip-packaging substrate solutions.

These products are used in every application where miniaturisation, increased functionality, quality and the highest level of reliability are required.

DYCONEX’ offer also includes FullFlex PCBs for 3D miniaturisation by folding. These foldable Full-Flex PCBs are built with flexible acrylic or epoxy adhesive in comparison to standard rigid-flex PCBs with prepregs. The very thin and flexible materials allow for thinner and smaller bending zones.

DYCONEX’ ultra-HDI/microvia and ultra-fine line technology provides miniaturisation down to 40um blindvias and lines/spaces down to 25/35 um. Therefore, higher packaging densities compared to classical rigid-flex PCB with prepregs are possible. Such easily tailored, ultrathin, foldable full-flex constructions are a perfect match for small, reliable, microelectronic systems, being used in medical technology and other industries.

The product reliability needed for medical technology, but also for other high-reliability industries, is precisely monitored in the reliability testing laboratories – a centre of competence at DYCONEX. With regard to IoT all production data is recorded, ensuring the product’s reliability and traceability.

For critical applications such as active implants, DYCONEX has developed systematic methodologies to gather evidence about product reliability.

Towards this goal, the firm employs accelerated test methods such as the interconnect stress test. IST tests enhanced by additional testing schemes and analytic methods form the basis for guaranteed, measurable reliability of DYCONEX products.

Your Partner for High-Reliability Interconnect Technology • Ultra-HDI/microvia PCBs • Full flex substrates for 3D miniaturisation • LCP substrates for biocompatible and RF applications • High-density chip packaging substrates • Application and design support • Comprehensive reliability testing • ISO 9001, ISO 13485 and EN 9100 certified

DYCONEX AG, Grindelstrasse 20, CH-8303 Bassersdorf, Switzerland Tel. +41 (43) 266 1100, mail.dyconex@mst.com, www.mst.com

VALTRONIC

Q: HOW IMPORTANT ARE PARTNER AND SUPPLIER RELATIONSHIPS TO THE SUCCESS OF YOUR BUSINESS? RAINER PLATZ: “Our business is not really focused on mainstream mass manufacturing where verticalisation of a small selection of technologies is a frequently observed option – instead it targets extreme miniaturisation and complex mechatronic systems. This means we heavily rely on our supplier partners to provide their share of the solution to a given challenge.

“We rarely source millions of standard components but rather hundreds to a few ten thousand of sometimes extremely sophisticated customer-specific components or assemblies. These components or sub-assemblies are frequently critical components within a product, and therefore we work with suppliers that have state-of-the-art quality systems and are able to provide complicated components with extremely challenging specifications and tight tolerances.

“The performance of our supply chain operations and the relationship with our global supplier base therefore is extremely important to our business.”

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are of utmost importance when it comes to active implantable devices and other medical devices where ‘minimally invasive’ is a keyword.

“Secondly, and benefiting from being embedded in a micromechanics and micromachining environment here in Switzerland, we have over the last 15 years built up our ‘mechatronics’ business, which we define as the combination of active electronics with precision mechanical assemblies, integrating sensors, actuators, optics and sometimes fluidics into complex functional assemblies or full devices.”

Valtronic indeed builds and ships complete devices (what are known as box builds), including final calibration and testing. Further, the company offers in-market services such as repairs and refurbishment.

In short, the firm pushes the bounds of what is possible and thrives in complexity, and backs it up with firstrate customer service.

As a mid-sized company, Valtronic is also able to move with the times extremely quickly, its agility being another hallmark that Platz recognises as critical to its success. “As I keep telling my teams, a good waiter anticipates the customer’s wish and may even upsell with a desert to total customer satisfaction,” he adds.

Such agility has been tested during what has been an extraordinary year.

The COVID-19 pandemic has caused enormous disruption to industries across all parts of the world, not least manufacturing operations which have had to either shut down or severely adapt in order to meet newly drafted safety protocols.

Valtronic has very much passed the test, its operations across all three sites continuing uninterrupted.

“Our global IT infrastructure has been able to smoothly support remote work for functions that are suitable,” Platz adds. “Executing on our pandemic plans and, most importantly, the commitment of our employees worldwide, has allowed us to remain fully functional.”

The CEO does reveal that overall business experienced some slowdown in the late spring and summer months, and that ongoing travel restrictions has disrupted collaboration on cross-border projects, but he also says the pandemic has opened the company up to some new perspectives among clients.

“The supply chain uncertainty has become a growing concern and companies are also realising that other events such as floods, fire, strikes or political instability can jeopardise their future,” Platz continues.

MANUFACTURING

Valtronic, USA

“Taking these growing concerns into consideration, OEMs will need a contract manufacturer that offers stability and reliability with redundant sourcing and manufacturing capabilities, and which is operating in politically and economically stable countries. I think that the Valtronic footprint and offer are fully in line with these expectations.”

THE FUTURE OF MEDICAL DEVICES This leads the CEO onto the topic of the future and what lies ahead for Valtronic in the coming years.

The future will be defined by innovation both in terms of product and process. For example, Platz reveals plans to greatly invest in digitisation and unification of systems across its three sites in what will be a major milestone on its developmental roadmap.

Indeed, Platz outlines an ambitious programme of investment which centres around expanding infrastructure across all three hubs, the Swiss centre also set to see its capabilities in microelectronics assembly enhanced.

“We strongly believe that the area of sophisticated highly miniaturised microelectronic assemblies, including but not limited to implants and sensors, will continue to be an enabler for novel therapies on the one side and a driver for the business on the other side,” he explains.

Platz identifies a trend towards smaller, smarter, lighter, portable and inherently more complex medical device equipment that will likely steer Valtronic in the future.

Patients, he says, prefer to avoid extended hospital stays and sophisticated medical equipment is critical to ensuring that more treatment can be provided at home where they feel more comfortable.

The notion leaves the CEO resolutely optimistic about the next chapter of the company’s development.

Bringing the conversation to a conclusion, Platz says: “In the future, more medical devices will evolve

and include electronics. Existing devices will have to be redesigned as a consequence. It is exciting to imagine the next generation of devices that will further improve patients’ lives.

“I believe that Valtronic is well positioned to be the manufacturing partner for this next generational wave. We have 35-plus years of experience in the medical device market and we are dedicated to the medical industry. The design phase is performed with the design for manufacturing methodology, meaning our engineering team knows all manufacturing constraints and takes them into account to allow for a smooth transition from R&D to industrialisation and manufacturing.

“I am proud to say that we are already working on several thrilling next generation projects for longstanding customers and also for new customers.”

Tel: +41 21 841 01 11 www.valtronic.com info@valtronic.com

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VALTRONIC Valtronic Technologies (Suisse) SA Route de Bonport 2 1343 Les Charbonnières Tel: +41 21 841 01 11 info@valtronic.com www.valtronic.com PRODUCED BY EME OUTLOOK MAGAZINE