Key notes: 3 medical sector changes shaping the rubber industry

FAIRLAWN, Ohio—Constants are over-rated.

Change? That's inevitable, especially when it comes to the medical sector.

For rubber industry companies and suppliers operating in the medical sphere, there is plenty of change to embrace. Whether it is sustainability—with the adoption of alternative natural rubbers, for instance—regulatory or technological, the industry is moving full speed ahead.

When the Healthcare Elastomers Conference returned to Akron May 8-9, change was the topic of discussion. Experts from across the industry explored that change from a range of perspectives.

Here are 3 take-aways from the first day of the Healthcare Elastomers Conference, hosted by Rubber News.

1. Technology turns 'cool' into a more diverse industry.

Sometimes, the automated systems and state-of-the-art technologies do more than streamline operations. Sometimes, they just make science—and the rubber industry—cooler.

Honestly, that's OK, said Khaled Boqaileh, co-founder and CEO for LabsCubed. Because right about now, the industry could use a boost of cool.

The thing is, finding talent is tough. Attracting younger talent to the rubber industry can be even more difficult, especially when science and technology is making so many other sectors look more appealing.

"I really harped on this one when I first started (in the industry) seven years ago. There was less younger talent; we weren't attracting a lot of people into the industry into the rubber industry," Boqaileh said during his presentation focusing on the value that automation and AI bring to lab and testing settings. "It's not the sexiest industry. If you have the choice between coming to rubber and going to Tesla, you are going to choose Tesla most likely."

So why not embrace it? Why not embrace the cool stuff?

Doing so means that the latest lab and testing technology allows companies to test more quickly, collect more accurate results or better store and analyze data. Ultimately, that technology becomes one of their best marketing tools—at least, when it comes to recruiting the next generation.

"When you have young people coming through labs, they are coming through facilities, manufacturing facilities," Boqaileh said. "It is very easy to go in and see black on the wall everywhere—very old school manufacturing—when it comes to a lot of the rubber (facilities) we go into. But then you go into the lab and you see futuristic systems and things where they can imagine themselves like scientists with coats doing science-y things."

2. Documentation is trending up.

Technology is reshaping everything. And when it comes to injection molding of medical parts, that technology is helping to enhance communication and manufacturing transparency.

And for KraussMaffei, that means stepping up the documentation capabilities of its machinery offerings.

"The biggest thing that I see in injection molding in terms of trends is digitalization, is the ability to document what is being produced," said Martin Stojkovic, KraussMaffei's director of sales for the Midwest.

Every customer, he said, wants to know the process parameters for the parts that were made. This includes everything from which injection molding machine it was to made on to details about the hot runner, the thermalator and the material handling systems.

And all of that information, he said, can be packed into a single barcode, accessed with a single scan.

"All of our customers want to have all that documentation on one barcode that can go with the parts," Stojkovic said. "In an automotive application, it would be stamped on our part, but in a medical device or something else, it would be put on the box or shipped with the components."

3. Changing regulations make communication essential.

Regulations are constantly changing. And they are far from consistent, especially on a global scale.

"We are a custom compounder, so we are trying to be as knowledgeable as possible with regulations that affect the chemicals that we use in our materials," Hilarie Rubin Teknor Apex's senior account manager for strategic value chain, said during an afternoon panel discussion.

To this end Teknor Apex works to stay in constant communication with its customers to ensure that the materials it uses in their products not only meet performance expectations, but achieve those regulatory benchmarks as well.

"If we don't do our job, they can't do theirs and vice versa," Rubin said.

And it turns out, doing that job is getting more and more complex, thanks to the bevy of varying government regulations for materials and chemicals.

"It is getting so complex out there, that sometimes we need to call our customer and say: are you selling any of your parts into a particular country?" Rubin said. "Because as regulations change, they come up with certain levels where if you exceed a certain level, you have to register it.

"So, knowing where our raw materials are going into which formulas and then knowing where those formulas are sold and then knowing where those parts are then shipped is becoming very complex. In order to stay good with the right people, you need to follow those rules. It takes communication and partnership all around the supply chain."