By Frank Antosiewicz
CORRESPONDENT
Published: October 22, 2013 1:04 pm ET
Updated: October 22, 2013 2:38 pm ET
Nypro Healthcare is opening a 32,000-square-foot design and product introduction center in Dallas that will cater to customers who need help with single-use and electro-mechanical Class I, II or III healthcare devices.
“It is a unique operation – what we wanted was to be able to provide the customer with end-to-end capabilities,” said Brian Highley vice president and general manager of the Medical Device and Consumer Health segment of Nypro Healthcare, in a telephone interview.
The facility features an advanced technology shop, a fully digitized machine shop, environmentally controlled chambers and a 1,500 square foot class 10,000 clean room.
Highley said that traditionally Nypro would work with customers upfront on the design of a product, but then the customer would manage the development prior to scale up and manufacturing.
“We recognized that there was a gap before manufacturing and scale-up and what the center was established to fill the gap,” said Highley, noting that it transfers the burden from the customer to the contract manufacturer.
He said that construction on the leased facility was completed in July and that currently it has 14 employees. Hiring is ongoing and is expected to reach 25 within a year and a total of 45 in three years.
Highley said that a key aspect of the facility is that it will be staffed by a team of experts that can foster the program along. The so-called art-to-part development will include specialists in processing, tooling, packaging, quality engineering, procurement and supply chain management.
The facility offers history file management, quality and regulatory support, in-house rapid prototyping, including 3-dimensional printing, a full-service metrology center and engineering test labs.
He said that the center will be able to handle new products from their concept, but also be able to re-engineer mature products to be more cost-effective.
Highley said that five locations coast-to-coast were researched prior to choosing Dallas for the center. He said that the facility is strategically located to serve manufacturers in the United States; Cayey, Puerto Rico; and Tijuana, Mexico.
Nypro Healthcare is part of Jabil Inc. of St. Petersburg, Fla. | 
