Show preview: Medtec 2012 brings the best in medical innovation

Set to lead the way globally in innovation and creation, the UK medical market continues to be a key area for British manufacturing to focus on and develop. Even the UK Government has locked onto the medical manufacturing market, offering grants and support for companies looking to get involved. As we all get better quality of life and live a little longer, the requirements of the medical market are ever increasing, with innovation driving the way in ensuring that healthcare is delivered quickly, effectively and cost efficiently. The ever-increasing market is key to the UK economy, with many companies seeing this as their main driver for sales and profitability. There is still a chance to get involved in this great business and add value and security to your company's future, by participating in Medtec UK 2012. Staged at the Birmingham NEC on 23-24 May 2012, exhibitors at this annual showcase for the UK medical device manufacturing industry will complement the renowned Medtec Conference education and Innovation platform with targeted displays within several special feature areas. This year, the Focus on Key Technologies at these Pavilions Within Medtec UK will include: Automation, Assembly and Robotics – a showcase of the integrators and latest technology for automated production and assembly techniques. Medical Packaging – Materials, outsourcers and machinery for the packaging of medical devices and manufacture of pharmaceutical drug delivery systems. PrecisionTec – Multi-Axis CNC technology, micro-machining, lasers and ultrasonic technology for the manufacture of surgical devices, implants and interventional cardio devices from specialty medical alloys. Medical Plastics Technology – High-performance plastics, injection moulding and extrusion techniques for medical manufacturing. Medtec UK will also have opportunities on the show floor to learn about developments in medical device manufacturing, in addition to its industry acclaimed Conference Programme. A complete programme of topics and speakers will be posted on its website as details are confirmed. Alongside the exhibition will be the Medtec UK Conference 2012. The two-day conference programme is designed to help designers, engineers and manufacturers manage projects successfully and is an ideal learning and networking opportunity for product developers. Researched and developed to help tackle the trickier grey areas of project management and teamwork within medical device design, the Medtec Conference offers expert knowledge from global OEMs such as Abbott Vascular, Biomet, Boston Scientific and Medtronic. Attendees will also hear practical tips and do's and don'ts from innovative start-ups such as Wines Medical and CamStent. This year's conference will give you a unique tacit exchange of advice that could help accelerate projects and make the difference between success and failure. An exclusive line-up of experts including MHRA, BSi and Philips Healthcare will dissect and divulge the very latest advice on the revision of the medical device directive. Ultimately OEMs big or small set out to create profitable new products. But with so much regulatory uncertainty, global competition for quicker, leaner, cheaper products; and a tighter clamp on investment, this is becoming increasingly difficult. This conference aims to understand the challenges surrounding R&D, design and regulation to help you take a fresh look at your own projects. Packed full of powerhouse case studies, innovative start-ups and industry guru discussion. Those in the industry will be well aware about the constant threat of the regulatory upheaval; this conference has pulled together some of the very experts involved in the development of the directives to provide a dream team of expertise into a concise briefing to help you make sense and give you the very latest and best advice there is on the planned changes for CE Marking to help adapt your project effectively. Attendees will discover how regulatory and healthcare reforms will affect device development in the future, as well as learning how to define development process guidelines and cost estimations to workout optimal timing of investment, partnerships, and exits. The conference will also help those attending to understand the NPI (new product initiation) process stages and key milestones before product release, as well as gaining a thorough understanding of critical quality, regulatory, and clinical trial considerations. Critically, the conference will also identify what every product development professional should know about the patent system and evidence portfolios. First hand advice will be available, with expert input on design planning; capturing user requirements; human factors; and transferring user requirements to design specification. This will be augmented by case studies of successful surgeon and industry partnerships for effective design innovation and advice on how and when to work with manufacturers.