Ranfac is known for its fully in-house, scalable production for custom medical device solutions. Whether our customers need OEM medical devices or contract manufacturing, our vertically integrated platform and decades of product expertise deliver the quality, innovation, and regulatory compliance required by the MedTech industry.
To provide deeper insight into the unique value of Ranfac’s medical device manufacturing model, Mike Faradie, Vice President of Manufacturing, shares his perspective on the core advantages of single-source production:
1. Can you walk us through the unique advantages, specifically around quality and efficiency, of having full in-house control over the manufacturing process at Ranfac’s facility?
There are many advantages that Ranfac and our customers benefit from due to the fact that we do just about everything in-house. One of the biggest advantages is that we have complete control over the production schedule and we can move things around to improve our customers’ lead times and meet sterilization deadlines. This coordination from operation to operation allows us to make changes quickly and expedite jobs through the facility as needed. It is also more efficient because we don’t need to rely on other suppliers and we can reduce the non-value add time spent during the production process. This helps ensure that our customers’ specifications are met. Overall, we know that the quality of our final devices is higher because we have eyes on the product throughout the entire process.
2. How does Ranfac incorporate the latest technology and automation in the manufacturing process, and what impact does this have on the quality and precision of the medical devices produced?
Automation is another tool that Ranfac uses whenever possible to improve quality, efficiency, and cost savings. We continuously look for opportunities to automate our most common processes. Ranfac and our customers benefit from this as it reduces human error, increasing quality and safety while improving productivity and lead times. Our robust cloud-based quality system ensures that regulatory requirements (ISO 13485:2016 compliance, MDR and FDA approval, CGMP/QSR, etc), industry standards, and customer satisfaction are met. We have a great team of individuals constantly pushing us towards the latest in technology and automation.
3. In what ways does the scalability of Ranfac’s manufacturing process benefit your diverse range of clients, especially those in the early stages of product development?
During product development, we look at the forecasted volume of the product. This helps determine the extent to which we should implement automation into the production process. For products of high volume, we develop the manufacturing process such that the speed of production will allow us to scale to the desired volume and succeed without compromising product quality and delivery time.
4. How does Ranfac accommodate both small-scale and large-scale production needs? What strategies are in place for your team to scale up production for multiple customers at the same time?
We have many ways we might choose to make a product based on different volumes or different customer needs. For a low-volume product, we may choose to cut them on our burr-free electrolytic saw. This saw can be set up and changed over quickly. Alternatively, for a high-volume product, we may choose to cut it on an automated piece of equipment like our Laser Cutter or one of our Swiss-Screw Machines. These machines run automatically and are ideal for larger quantities. Strategic decisions like this give us the best chance for success.
5. Can you share a success story that showcases how Ranfac overcomes roadblocks that are common in multi-sourced production?
During COVID, on many occasions, we were able to adapt to challenges caused by industry-wide supply chain and material shortages. One example of this was the dramatic increase in lead times for raw material across the board. Wire was extremely difficult to access quickly, but we were able to work around this by centerless grinding larger material down to the desired size, in-house. The ability to do this, in addition to our many sizes of wire in stock, helped us quickly react and address the problem without relying on the supplier’s delivery to meet our deadlines.
