Boddingtons returns to Med-Tech Innovation Expo

Award-winning plastics injection moulding manufacturer, Boddingtons, is coming back to Med-Tech Innovation Expo in April for the third year running – and it has plenty of new developments to share with visitors.

The firm will be presenting the features and the benefits of its new manufacturing operations. Class 7 cleanrooms, expert testing and inspection services are just part of a new £4.6m investment now reaping rewards for the UK-based company.Boddingtons is certified to ISO13485 and ISO9001 Quality Management Systems Requirements and is also compliant with FDA 21 CFR Part 820.Jay Cheema, who heads up the growing quality management function at the company, explained the background to the recent investment: “Quality of people is the biggest part of our company recipe – and is absolutely essential in medical device manufacturing in order to fulfil ever-increasing global regulatory requirements and obligations.“Our ‘everything is possible’ approach has combined with significant investment in CMM systems and metrology in order to assure a very bright future for customers of Class 1 and 2 medical devices.”Boddingtons says the new cleanrooms are also essential to growing its customer base in the medtech sector. The company is now using video to communicate the features and benefits of its Class 7 cleanroom manufacturing environment to customers. A total of eight moulding machines currently occupy the newest Class 7 cleanroom space, with further growth currently planned through 2018.

The firm says it is also expanding its geographical reach. In early February Boddingtons CEO Andy Tibbs took video content demonstrating the cleanroom in operation to several purchasers and OEM visitors at MD&M West in Anaheim California. 

Tibbs said: “It’s a pleasure to be able to show our Boddingtons Class 7 clean room services in some detail. Our capabilities for the manufacture of Class 1 and Class 2 medical devices are second to none, and our FDA compliance puts us in the running for several important opportunities in the USA.”

Tibbs added: “The current international business climate — via the strong dollar — is currently weighted in favour of qualified UK manufacturers supplying the US medtech supply chain. Naturally Boddingtons is presenting a very strong business case.”

Regulatory affairs is another area the company will be looking to discuss with visitors at Med-Tech Innovation Expo. Shimaa Elsaway, regulatory affairs manager at the group, said: “We work closely with our business partners - particularly at the early stages of new medical device development. Taking care of compliance matters at the very outset helps launch the customer’s product into the market with confidence and within an optimum time frame.”

The company is also continuing its investments in testing and inspection with the purchase of a second non-contact co-ordinate measuring machine. This equipment will be commissioned in the coming months and will assist with validation work and in-process control measurements caused by increased demand from the marketplace.

Tibbs concluded: “Investment in metrology equipment is critical, since there is little point producing precise mouldings if we cannot measure the parts accurately.”

Visit Boddingtons on stand E2 at Med-Tech Innovation Expo.