News
Medical Device Manufacturer Receives Massachusetts Manufacturing Award
11.28.2010
Boston, Mass. – Tegra Medical of Franklin has been selected to receive the 1st Annual Next Generation Manufacturing Award as an exemplary representative of advanced manufacturing practices in Massachusetts. The Award will be presented on Friday morning at the Associated Industries of Massachusetts Executive Forum. U.S. Senator Scott Brown, the Forum’s featured speaker, will participate in the award presentation.
The Next Generation Manufacturing Award (NGM) was established by the Associated Industries of Massachusetts Manufacturing Institute, the Massachusetts Manufacturing Extension Partnership (MassMEP), and McGladrey to recognize a Massachusetts manufacturer for its performance practices as measured against 21st century manufacturing standards, and to elevate awareness of what it takes to succeed as a manufacturer in today’s extensively competitive world.
Tegra Medical, founded in 2007, is the combination of four trusted firms that today focuses exclusively on precision machining and contract manufacturing services for the medical device industry, and the production of components and assemblies for leading surgical and interventional companies. Tegra employs 400 people, has 200,000 sq. ft. of ISO 13485 registered manufacturing space and is headquartered in an 81,000-sq.-ft. facility in Franklin, MA built to its specifications in 2009.
The NGM Award is based in part on an in-depth survey of more than 2,500 manufacturers including firms in the Bay State that identified six key performance measures that if addressed should position firms to be competitive in the 21st century. The measures include:
- Customer-focus innovation – the capacity to deliver new and better customer solutions at a faster pace than the competition
- Advanced talent management – the use of systems and technologies to better recruit, hire, develop and retain talent
- Systemic continuous improvement – the ability to realize annual productivity and quality gains through a companywide commitment to continuous improvement
- Extended enterprise management – the implementation of a flexible network of supply chains and partnerships to achieve competitive advantage in speed to the market, cost of goods and quality of output
- Sustainable product and process development – the design and incorporation of waste and energy-use reduction measures that produce tangible cost performance advantages while increasing customer value.
- Global engagement – the capacity to integrate people, partnerships and systems capable of engaging global markets, talents and resources
The eight finalists under consideration to receive the NGM Award were subject to an onsite evaluation, a process which determined that the economic impact by these firms alone to the commonwealth’s economy reached more than $673.2 million.
During the review process, the sponsor’s evaluation team was particularly impressed by how Tegra measured up to several of the performance measures, including:
- Consistently defining new equipment and processes to stay on the leading edge of the market, and establishing an 18,000-sq.-ft. GENESIS Tech Center to help support new product launches
- Comprehensive measures to retain employees and building pipelines to recruit new talent
- Systematic daily and weekly operational reviews at all levels
- Supplier summits and reviews to communicate expectations and track progress
- Specific recycling programs geared towards metals, plastics, papers, and water
- Opening of offshore operation to meet customer demands
Commenting on the award, Jack Healy, director of operations for MassMEP said, “The practices carried out by the people at Tegra Medical and the seven other award finalists highlight what manufacturers must do every day to meet the challenges of an ever growing and competitive world marketplace. The adoption of these best practices can serve to help other manufacturers to identify strategic goals to ensure they will be able to grow and prosper in the future.”
In addition to Tegra Medical, the 2010 Next Generation Manufacturing Award Finalists include:
Barry Controls; Checkerboard LTD; FIBA Technologies; Incom, Inc.; MTD Micro Molding; John Matouk Company, Inc; Savage Arms, Inc.
About NGM Award Sponsors:
Massachusetts Manufacturing Extension Partnership
Phone: (508) 831-7020
Associated Industries of Massachusetts
Phone: (617) 262-1180
McGladrey
Phone: 617-912-9000