Scapa Healthcare Mitigates Supply Chain Issues and Speeds Time to Market for Critical Hydrogel-Based Wound Dressing
May 2023
Summary
- A leading provider of a critical hydrogel-based advanced first aid wound dressing was facing numerous supply chain and quality issues working with its current manufacturer partner.
- The company turned to the team at Scapa Healthcare's Turnkey Center of Excellence in Knoxville, Tennessee, who quickly developed an efficient manufacturing process to convert the hydrogel-based wound dressing and resolve the customer’s supply chain and quality issues.
- The Scapa Healthcare team executed the project from conception to production in a matter of months.
Challenge
The customer, a leading provider of a critical hydrogel-based advanced first aid wound dressing for life-threatening injuries, was working with a converter partner that was facing numerous supply chain and quality issues that resulted in directly impacting its ability to deliver the product to the customer. The converter partner could simply no longer produce the wound dressing to specification requirements.
Solution
The customer turned to the team at Scapa Healthcare’s Turnkey Center of Excellence in Knoxville, TN., to discuss a new conversion process for its proprietary wound care dressing design.
The Scapa Healthcare team quickly addressed the customer’s issues by developing an efficient manufacturing process for converting the hydrogel-based advanced dressing. Scapa also utilized its vertical integration capabilities and established relationships with industry suppliers in sourcing raw materials expeditiously. The group quickly sourced many of the product’s existing components within its established supplier base and qualified a new vendor to meet the remaining specifications.
One of the primary benefits Scapa Healthcare brought to the project was speed to market. For example, the customer requested a small feature modification. Scapa engineers created prototypes ahead of ordering new raw materials; thereby providing the customer the opportunity to preview the outcome of the modification and act quickly to approve the change. Furthermore, the Scapa Healthcare team was able to improve the product aesthetically by removing wrinkles that had appeared in manufacturing runs from the previous supplier.
Additionally, Scapa Healthcare’s quality management systems and medical device certification are valuable resources to the customer. The Knoxville team thoroughly understood the regulatory requirements to manufacture this medical device and was able to accommodate the customer’s specific regulatory requirements to be able to sell the dressings in international markets.
Results
- Supply chain disruption issues solved
- Efficient manufacturing processes established
- High-quality products manufactured due to the site's quality management systems and medical devices and converting expertise
- Streamlined the development process—from inception to production in a matter of months
From the beginning of the onboarding process, Scapa Healthcare's approach to creating an efficient, reliable, and stable manufacturing process was well-laid out and professionally presented. This instilled confidence in the customer. The customer further noted that the Scapa team was very responsive and was able to provide an achievable timeline to get the conversion process turned around quickly.
Looking Forward
As demand for efficacious advanced wound care solutions grows, the customer is working with Scapa Healthcare’s team to support its hydrogel-based wound dressing expansion in international markets. The customer is also exploring the enhancement of its wound care portfolio with a new active wound cleanser product that also leverages Scapa Healthcare’s expertise and capabilities.