Culture, strategy, and innovation are making US Endoscopy a premier mid-sized company in the medical instruments market. WIRE-Net along with WINOC, sponsored a tour of their Mentor Ohio facility on March 18, 2010. It was a great tour conducted by members of the staff and it gave us a peak at what makes them successful.

Dedicated Culture

Most of US Endoscopy's production is in a controlled environment, to keep its product free from dust. We were required to scrub and gown up for the tour, which made the visit all the more fun and memorable. The team that assembles product is mostly women—small parts require smaller hands and well-honed dexterity. "Small" took on whole new meaning when we observed one woman threading a small ferrule onto a very small tattoo needle, used to mark areas internally when monitoring an area of the body affected by illness or disease. She then crimped the collar tightly onto the needle, all by hand. She makes approximately 150 needles in an hour. Workers rotate frequently from tedious jobs like these to other processes throughout the day to avoid burnout. US Endoscopy is automating many of these functions over time as they document their manual functions.

This is not to say that automation is being positioned as a way to cut costs through reduced staff. A recent article in the News Herald reported US Endoscopy's plans to add 150 new jobs to their current staff of 279 people. US Endoscopy values their workforce. This was apparent as we continued our tour passing by their onsite daycare facility that provides care for staff children while parents are on the production floor or in the office. Breaks and meals are shared between child and parent and offers a value to the employee that is convenient and safe.

Effective Strategy

US Endoscopy has positioned themselves as a leading edge company that can do what bigger companies cannot. Their focus is on the technology that will meet the needs of the customer. They are able to remain nimble and adapt to needs as they arise in their product development. They have done this by connecting with customers through training and trials that allow them to pinpoint their needs. An example, which was also a stop on the tour, was their training area, which gives doctors and medical staff an opportunity to use their devices on training mannequins. It serves a dual function: not only to educate, but also tovalidate a device's ease of use.

Continuous Innovation

It is the relationships they have forged with clinicians that allow their new products team to continuously seek new ways based on feedback to create new and improved products and technologies. Take a look at their new product announcements and it will give you an idea of their frequent and continuous efforts to serve their customer with the best product they can supply.

US Endoscopy is a privately held company in Mentor, Ohio, that specializes in the design and manufacture of gastrointestinal endoscopy. The family-owned firm was founded in 1991 and currently distributes its products in more than 50 countries. Thank you to Tony Siracusa and his team at US Endoscopy for organizing and conducting a great tour.

As part of our New Markets Initiative, we are looking for other companies in emerging markets like Medical Devices, Aerospace, and Alternative Energy to conduct a tour. If you would like to participate or are interested in our upcoming New Markets Initiative, please contact Mark Pinto at 216.588.1440 ext 103.