Dr Hinke Malda, director of medical coatings, DSM Biomedical
In August, DSM was recognised with the 2014 North America Frost & Sullivan award for growth excellence leadership for medical device coatings. Dr Hinke Malda, director of medical coatings, DSM Biomedical, explains what this award means for the company.
In the award announcement, DSM was acknowledged as a total solutions provider that works with customers from start to finish in the medical device development process. Frost & Sullivan also cited DSM’s outstanding innovation-centric growth policies, close relationships with value chain participants and excellent customer experience as qualities that set the company apart from other companies in the competitive marketplace.
Customer commitment and partnerships
The award means a great deal for DSM because it supports our mission to become the preferred partner for medical device companies. By partnering with a medical device company, rather than simply being a supplier, we offer a greater level of service that touches a device from R&D through manufacturing and coating application. We are able to truly listen to the device maker’s requirements from the first conversation until the device is brought to market. Our knowledge of the medical industry and expertise in medical coatings enables us to offer technology and services with unique value.
While medical device companies are the experts in their devices, they are generally less knowledgeable about the coating system and how it should be used or applied. In collaborating with a company like DSM, a synergy is created wherein both companies share the experience and can build upon each other’s expertise. We go through an extensive vetting process with new business leads and make sure that at DSM, we can fully envision what the customer wants out of our proposed partnership.
Leveraging healthcare market needs
DSM works with customers across many different disciplines. We believe that a strong partnership exists where both teams can really work together, understanding each other’s needs and expertise.
Additionally, being recognised by Frost & Sullivan proves the success of leveraging DSM’s medical coatings competencies to answer healthcare market needs. The multinational DSM consisting of multiple business divisions is able to leverage its combined technologies and competences to address customer needs. For example, although the medical device coatings group and the coating resins group are separate divisions within DSM, both groups learn from each other. We share research and development results on coating formulations, application processes and other chemistry findings. This internal cross-collaboration helps DSM make a more significant impact for partners in various industries and marketplaces.
Surpassing the competition
Frost & Sullivan’s award states that although the space is marked by strong competition, DSM has been able to maintain steady top-line growth in just a short time span of seven years. At DSM, this is attributed to the fact that we have a very dedicated team where every employee is passionate and extremely devoted to his or her job. Making people’s lives brighter is part of our DSM brand promise and is a strong motivating factor for us. Each employee really believes in the strength of our technology and how it can improve patients’ lives throughout the world.
The future of DSM
Ultimately, this recognition from Frost & Sullivan is a great accomplishment for us. Internally, we know that we are doing great things, and being recognised by an external party validates our efforts. As part of our business strategy, we continue to stay up-to-date on new market trends and unmet needs through market surveillance, regular customer satisfaction questionnaires and direct interactions with the surgeons, patients and regulatory agencies. It’s also our goal to continue to strive for excellence in the medical device coatings market by maintaining a tight focus on research and innovation as well as continuing to build close relationships with industry peers.