In fall 2020, Enplas surveyed users of medical injection-molding services to determine the impact of COVID-19 on their businesses. The respondents represented a variety of sizes, industries, and geographic locations.

COVID-19 has affected the operations of businesses that use medical injection-molding services. That much is obvious; no survey needs to be conducted to determine this. What the recent Enplas survey revealed, however, is in what ways.

By and large, the survey found that most customers (83%) of medical molding providers have seen their non-COVID-related projects postponed, deprioritized, or defunded. The majority (63%) have experienced longer production and development lead times as a result of COVID-19. And finally, many respondents (30%) expressed renewed difficulty procuring parts and raw materials as suppliers become overburdened or shutter altogether.

The quantitative data was reinforced by the qualitative results. When asked about “services or special considerations [respondents] would like to see from medical injection-molding service providers to accommodate…COVID-19,” many businesses offered responses such as:

“Better communication about product lead times”
“Transparency and visibility about the impacts on schedule and delivery”
“[Help] finding alternative raw materials that are readily available to avoid delay”

In today’s pandemic environment, situations change quickly. This remains true for developers of injection-molded medical products, especially those developing COVID-19-related diagnostics. The desire to get these important products out the door and into the hands of those that need them has been amplified over the past year. As the Enplas survey reveals, the challenges in doing so have only grown as well.

Enplas understands customers in the medical field. While we also experience increased industry demand, we continually strive to be flexible and transparent with our customers. No business wants to hear that their project has been delayed at the last minute. That’s why we provide consistent, proactive communication and updates throughout the entire development and production process. We provide timeline estimates at the start of every project, and if there are any unforeseen delays, we inform you as soon as possible—so there’s plenty of time to adjust and plan accordingly.

Unfortunately, many businesses are experiencing difficulties with procuring parts and raw materials due to the pressure COVID-19 has placed on supply chains. In this situation, Enplas supports customers by finding ways to source the materials they need and helping to find alternative materials if those are not currently available. Our aim is to reduce delays in your project to the best of our ability.

Enplas maintains an agile global supply chain to support our customers’ needs worldwide. While our U.S. sites can handle the production of millions of parts, our network of factories across the U.S. and Asia helps ensure that our clients receive their products when they need them—all while working with local engineers. For more information on how our global supply chain can support your needs, click here.

If you’re looking to quickly ramp up production of your plastic medical components, it’s important to work with an experienced injection molder with a global supply chain and commitment to transparent client communication. With experience in developing and producing plastic medical components in quantities of hundreds to millions, Enplas can assist you with your new or existing product to ensure efficient manufacturing costs, speed, and consistent quality parts production.

For more information, contact us today.

This survey was conducted in partnership with Alphasights.