Swiss Medtech Report 2012 - Medtech Switzerland

Invention
Product
Development
Manufacturing – precision is our
specialty
Switzerland’s open economy is highly competitive and is known across
the globe for producing a number of high-quality products. The
success of its medical technologies sector relies on a highly skilled
workforce and its dedication to precision. Realizing productivity
gains helps the industry to counterbalance the effects of the global
financial crisis in major Swiss export markets
OUTDOING THE COMPETITION In 2010,
the World Economic Forum in Davos ranked Switzerland
as the most competitive country in the world
and the most innovative country in Europe. Switzerland
offers one of the most stable economies in
the world which is in part based on its highly qualified
work force. A skilled labor force helps the Swiss
medtech manufacturers maintain a competitive edge
and acts as a magnet for foreign investment. Despite
the high cost of living and high wages, companies
often relocate their international or European headquarters
to Switzerland and build up major plants
or research & development activities. Switzerland
is in the top ten list for medical manufacturing
companies and is home to many medtech giants
such as the US-based Johnson&Johnson Medical,
Zimmer, Medtronic, Stryker and B. Braun. The
reason for the success of the medtech industry in
Switzerland is multi-faced and was recently investigated
by the Swiss Medical Technology Indus-
try (SMTI) survey. One of the primary findings
of the SMTI was that much of the medtech industry’s
success was due to access to a highly skilled
workforce.
Switzerland’s highly educated work force stems from
the demanding professional and university education
in the dual education system which combines
apprenticeship in a company with vocational education
at a University of Applied Sciences, leading to
advanced education in medical technology, mechanics,
precision machining and general engineering
expertise. The excellent engineering schools and
the variability in education and training result in a
group of young trainees who are motivated, full of
curiosity and ready to break new ground. This outcome
is reflected in the number of patent applica-
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Manufacturing
Facts & Figures
Marketing &
Market Access
Regulation &
Healthcare
Funding &
Financing
tions and a growing number of medtech start-up
companies every year.
NETWORKING – a PRECIOUs assET
Thanks to Switzerland’s dual education system,
young engineers establish a network with other
universities, users and physicians very early in their
career and learn to understand consumer needs.
Many of them take a job in the medtech company
they got to know while working on their master
or doctoral thesis. Medtech companies are also well
networked with healthcare facilities and hospitals
which perform top level research and play an active
part in technological developments. Expertise in
materials and processing techniques coupled with a
high degree of automation know-how shape the success
of the manufacturing sector. Another contributor
to industry success as a whole is the cutting edge
suppliers sector which is largely composed of small
and medium-sized companies. For many manufacturers,
including foreign companies, the stable economic
and political environment, the skilled work
force and the possibility to introduce and register a
new product at a rapid pace make Switzerland an
attractive place to grow a business. The high degree
of integration along the value chain is a characteristic
feature of Swiss medtech manufacturing.
LET’s MOvE UP a GEaR Despite its success
in recent years, however, Switzerland has not been
immune to the global financial crises and endured
heavy exchange losses in 2011, which is why the year
was marked by declining investments. New strategies
to handle the decline have become a primary
focus of the industry in recent months as manufacturing
costs and high wage costs are not expected
to decline. More than ever Swiss companies are