The COVID-19 pandemic not only poses challenges, but also opens opportunities for the medical industry. Rita Chu, Vice Chairman of Adsale Group, talked to Aurelien Bastien, President of Hot Runners, Controllers and Medical of Husky Technologies™, on the latest market outlook and technology trends in the medical industry.

• Rita Chu pursued her studies at Northwestern University in the US, as well as London School of Economics in the UK. A certified accountant, she joined the Adsale Group in 2010 and became the Vice Chairman of the Group in 2019.

Rita Chu, Vice Chairman, Adsale Group.

• Aurelien Bastien was appointed to the role of President, Hot Runners, Controllers and Medical in October 2019. Since joining Husky in 2004, Aurelien has held roles of increasing responsibility throughout the global organization. He holds a Master Degree in Mechanical Engineering from the University of Technology of Belfort-Montbéliard. 

Aurelien Bastien, President, Hot Runners, Controllers and Medical, Husky Technologies.   

• Since 1953, Husky Technologies™ has grown to become a global leader in injection molding systems, including machines, molds, hot runners, auxiliaries and integrated systems, in the plastics industry. The Canadian-based company operates manufacturing facilities located in Canada, the U.S., Luxembourg, Switzerland, the Czech Republic and China, as well as a global network of locations.

Medical injection molding business continues to build momentum

Chu: The COVID-19 pandemic has put big pressure on the healthcare systems around the world, thereby has posed major challenges for the medical industry to meet the increased demands for related medical devices. Coming to the third year, what are the opportunities for the medical device manufacturing sector right now?

Bastien: We are quite optimistic that the medical injection molding business will continue to enjoy strong growth. It is expected that the medical device market will see a growth of around 10% as worldwide demand continues to increase and new business opportunities are emerging.

It is certain that plastics are part of the solution to health crisis, and we have been seeing that through the pandemic. We think the demand is going to remain strong. While the pandemic has changed the landscape of the medical industry, there will be a growing need to secure the supply chain with low-risk manufacturing solutions that are more scalable and productive.

Chu: Did this surging demand help the business of Husky in the last two years?

Bastien: At Husky, we have seen growth in the medical area of our business as a result of the pandemic. As a single source provider of integrated systems and solutions, Husky was already strong in the medical sector with a variety of products, and we have been fortunate to come out of the pandemic even stronger.

It could be a challenge for small and medium size suppliers, but Husky has a large manufacturing footprint. We have been investing in digitalization before the pandemic. Therefore, we can deliver globally at high speed, high quality and high performance.

Enduring demand beyond the pandemic

Chu: What are your other observations on the demand from the medical industry?

Bastien: The pandemic has also stimulated the growth of laboratory consumables for testing, vaccination and diagnostics. These involve high-volume production and integrated manufacturing approaches are required to ensure the highest level of certainty, scalability and fastest time to market.

Beyond the COVID-19 pandemic are a rising number of chronic disease and an aging population globally. These two things are going to be the key drivers to the market.

There is a worldwide concern of shortage of medical products, and we see governments launching initiatives to create their own local supply chains. This is also an opportunity because more newcomers are going to look for low-risk solutions.

All in all, it is not only a spike led by the pandemic, but also a long-lasting demand related to these trends in the medical industry.

Beyond the COVID-19 pandemic, there is a long-lasting demand in the medical injection molding sector.

Chu: China is definitely one of the big players in manufacturing. How do you see the potential in the Chinese market?

Bastien: I lived in Shanghai for four years before returning to Europe. I believe China will keep its dominance as the largest manufacturer for medical devices.

I think the opportunity for China is to continue improving the productivity because the country will see a bit more competition coming from those territories that are going to look at insourcing their production.

Nevertheless, I think the domestic demand in China will remain extremely strong, which can compensate for the loss in export.

Integrated solutions the key to successful supply chain and digitalization

Chu: The supply chain is very important to the newcomers and the expanding medical device manufacturers. How can Husky help in terms of supply chain management?

Bastien: The newcomers do not have the luxury to self-aggregate different equipment together. It will be time-consuming, costly, inefficient and risky. Medical device manufacturing can be highly complex, and this is where Husky can offer integrated solutions to effectively manage the risk.

We have our injection molding machines, hot runners, controllers, auxiliaries, and Schöttli™ medical molds, which together deliver a total system solution with specific configuration from a single source. That is one way to secure the supply chain because there is no need to go to different suppliers.

Husky’s medical systems include the protection of Advantage+Elite™, our industry-leading service contract that features proactive, predictive and transparent monitoring. Utilizing the power of remotely connected equipment (remote connectivity), combined with data algorithms designed to monitor leading system variables, that if left undetected will result in a loss of equipment performance.

With the integrated solutions and Advantage+Elite™ monitoring the whole production process, Husky can help to strengthen the medical supply chain.

Schöttli medical molds are integral components of Husky medical injection molding systems and solutions.

Chu: Integrated solutions are essentially sort of smart manufacturing which can boost the development of different industries. What are the common difficulties faced by customers in the transformation of digitalization?

Bastien: The key is that smart manufacturing and digitization have limited benefits when they are adopted with an aggregation of subsystems from different suppliers. These subsystems do not necessarily operate in harmony at the highest efficiency.

Therefore, if the subsystems of your production line do not cooperate in a very intelligent way, you will not obtain the most out of digitalization. That is why Husky develops intelligent technologies that are coordinated in the most efficient way within a production line with each subsystem delivered by the company.

What we are doing with smart manufacturing is to remove complexity from our solutions, aiming to make our systems easy to operate. We want our customers to focus on growing their business and not to worry about production.

Advanced technologies to extricate sustainability

Chu: When we talk about plastics, it is hard not to talk about environmental issues. How can we contribute to carbon neutrality? How can Husky facilitate plastics converters to use more recycled plastics?

Bastien: One way to achieve carbon neutrality is reducing energy consumption. To look at the whole production process from the beginning to the final part, there is a lot of energy used to simply produce raw materials. When compared to glass, certain plastics or PET have the advantage of producing less greenhouse emissions. On top of that, plastics offer the ability of lightweighting which can have a positive impact on logistics.

Meanwhile, advanced injection molding technologies enable producers to reduce the plastics used in the products, thereby reducing the greenhouse emissions in the whole production and logistics processes.

With regard to increasing the level of recycled content in the products, Husky has a large footprint of systems processing recycled materials in the world. We have a range of proven solutions specifically optimized to help producers to process higher percentages of recycled plastics with higher stability and efficiency.

To really help to increase the capability of producing with recycled materials, it has to remove or reduce the variability risks associated with processing a higher level of recycled materials. It is because there are fluctuations in the quality and performance of recycled materials, which can result in loss of production efficiency and lower quality of the final products.

Besides, over the last years, Husky has been playing a strong role in promoting the application of certain plastics, for example, PET which is highly recyclable.

New medical injection molding systems under spotlight at CHINAPLAS

Chu: It is great to hear that digitalization and circular economy promote the better use of plastics. What do we expect visitors to see from Husky during CHINAPLAS?

Bastien: We are happy to be there and always delighted to be part of CHINAPLAS. Visitors can expect to see a range of solutions designed for the medical market with a focus on laboratory diagnostics and medical consumables, including a preview of our new and innovative blood collection tube system called ICHOR.

We are also going to present our industry-leading portfolio of hot runner technologies and mold controllers, including Ultra Helix. It is a type of valve gate offering a high level of precision, accuracy and consistency in highly demanding applications, such as those in the medical industry.

Husky’s new blood collection tube system ICHOR.

Ultra Helix valve gate nozzle.

Chu: Thank you very much. Lastly, what corporate culture does Husky pride on and would carry forward in the future?

Bastien: Husky’s corporate culture is that we are powered by people, knowledge, and experience. These three pillars have been fundamental to maintain the company’s longstanding industry-leading position. We believe that by leveraging these three pillars, Husky will continue to focus on creating innovative breakthrough and solutions that benefit the needs of the global community and environment, as well as to deliver quality outcomes for customers.

The COVID-19 pandemic not only poses challenges, but also opens opportunities for the medical industry. Rita Chu, Vice Chairman of Adsale Group, talked to Aurelien Bastien, President of Hot Runners, Controllers and Medical of Husky Technologies™, on the latest market outlook and technology trends in the medical industry.

• Rita Chu pursued her studies at Northwestern University in the US, as well as London School of Economics in the UK. A certified accountant, she joined the Adsale Group in 2010 and became the Vice Chairman of the Group in 2019.

Rita Chu, Vice Chairman, Adsale Group.

• Aurelien Bastien was appointed to the role of President, Hot Runners, Controllers and Medical in October 2019. Since joining Husky in 2004, Aurelien has held roles of increasing responsibility throughout the global organization. He holds a Master Degree in Mechanical Engineering from the University of Technology of Belfort-Montbéliard. 

Aurelien Bastien, President, Hot Runners, Controllers and Medical, Husky Technologies.   

• Since 1953, Husky Technologies™ has grown to become a global leader in injection molding systems, including machines, molds, hot runners, auxiliaries and integrated systems, in the plastics industry. The Canadian-based company operates manufacturing facilities located in Canada, the U.S., Luxembourg, Switzerland, the Czech Republic and China, as well as a global network of locations.

Medical injection molding business continues to build momentum

Chu: The COVID-19 pandemic has put big pressure on the healthcare systems around the world, thereby has posed major challenges for the medical industry to meet the increased demands for related medical devices. Coming to the third year, what are the opportunities for the medical device manufacturing sector right now?

Bastien: We are quite optimistic that the medical injection molding business will continue to enjoy strong growth. It is expected that the medical device market will see a growth of around 10% as worldwide demand continues to increase and new business opportunities are emerging.

It is certain that plastics are part of the solution to health crisis, and we have been seeing that through the pandemic. We think the demand is going to remain strong. While the pandemic has changed the landscape of the medical industry, there will be a growing need to secure the supply chain with low-risk manufacturing solutions that are more scalable and productive.

Chu: Did this surging demand help the business of Husky in the last two years?

Bastien: At Husky, we have seen growth in the medical area of our business as a result of the pandemic. As a single source provider of integrated systems and solutions, Husky was already strong in the medical sector with a variety of products, and we have been fortunate to come out of the pandemic even stronger.

It could be a challenge for small and medium size suppliers, but Husky has a large manufacturing footprint. We have been investing in digitalization before the pandemic. Therefore, we can deliver globally at high speed, high quality and high performance.

Enduring demand beyond the pandemic

Chu: What are your other observations on the demand from the medical industry?

Bastien: The pandemic has also stimulated the growth of laboratory consumables for testing, vaccination and diagnostics. These involve high-volume production and integrated manufacturing approaches are required to ensure the highest level of certainty, scalability and fastest time to market.

Beyond the COVID-19 pandemic are a rising number of chronic disease and an aging population globally. These two things are going to be the key drivers to the market.

There is a worldwide concern of shortage of medical products, and we see governments launching initiatives to create their own local supply chains. This is also an opportunity because more newcomers are going to look for low-risk solutions.

All in all, it is not only a spike led by the pandemic, but also a long-lasting demand related to these trends in the medical industry.

Beyond the COVID-19 pandemic, there is a long-lasting demand in the medical injection molding sector.

Chu: China is definitely one of the big players in manufacturing. How do you see the potential in the Chinese market?

Bastien: I lived in Shanghai for four years before returning to Europe. I believe China will keep its dominance as the largest manufacturer for medical devices.

I think the opportunity for China is to continue improving the productivity because the country will see a bit more competition coming from those territories that are going to look at insourcing their production.

Nevertheless, I think the domestic demand in China will remain extremely strong, which can compensate for the loss in export.

Integrated solutions the key to successful supply chain and digitalization

Chu: The supply chain is very important to the newcomers and the expanding medical device manufacturers. How can Husky help in terms of supply chain management?

Bastien: The newcomers do not have the luxury to self-aggregate different equipment together. It will be time-consuming, costly, inefficient and risky. Medical device manufacturing can be highly complex, and this is where Husky can offer integrated solutions to effectively manage the risk.

We have our injection molding machines, hot runners, controllers, auxiliaries, and Schöttli™ medical molds, which together deliver a total system solution with specific configuration from a single source. That is one way to secure the supply chain because there is no need to go to different suppliers.

Husky’s medical systems include the protection of Advantage+Elite™, our industry-leading service contract that features proactive, predictive and transparent monitoring. Utilizing the power of remotely connected equipment (remote connectivity), combined with data algorithms designed to monitor leading system variables, that if left undetected will result in a loss of equipment performance.

With the integrated solutions and Advantage+Elite™ monitoring the whole production process, Husky can help to strengthen the medical supply chain.

Schöttli medical molds are integral components of Husky medical injection molding systems and solutions.

Chu: Integrated solutions are essentially sort of smart manufacturing which can boost the development of different industries. What are the common difficulties faced by customers in the transformation of digitalization?

Bastien: The key is that smart manufacturing and digitization have limited benefits when they are adopted with an aggregation of subsystems from different suppliers. These subsystems do not necessarily operate in harmony at the highest efficiency.

Therefore, if the subsystems of your production line do not cooperate in a very intelligent way, you will not obtain the most out of digitalization. That is why Husky develops intelligent technologies that are coordinated in the most efficient way within a production line with each subsystem delivered by the company.

What we are doing with smart manufacturing is to remove complexity from our solutions, aiming to make our systems easy to operate. We want our customers to focus on growing their business and not to worry about production.

Advanced technologies to extricate sustainability

Chu: When we talk about plastics, it is hard not to talk about environmental issues. How can we contribute to carbon neutrality? How can Husky facilitate plastics converters to use more recycled plastics?

Bastien: One way to achieve carbon neutrality is reducing energy consumption. To look at the whole production process from the beginning to the final part, there is a lot of energy used to simply produce raw materials. When compared to glass, certain plastics or PET have the advantage of producing less greenhouse emissions. On top of that, plastics offer the ability of lightweighting which can have a positive impact on logistics.

Meanwhile, advanced injection molding technologies enable producers to reduce the plastics used in the products, thereby reducing the greenhouse emissions in the whole production and logistics processes.

With regard to increasing the level of recycled content in the products, Husky has a large footprint of systems processing recycled materials in the world. We have a range of proven solutions specifically optimized to help producers to process higher percentages of recycled plastics with higher stability and efficiency.

To really help to increase the capability of producing with recycled materials, it has to remove or reduce the variability risks associated with processing a higher level of recycled materials. It is because there are fluctuations in the quality and performance of recycled materials, which can result in loss of production efficiency and lower quality of the final products.

Besides, over the last years, Husky has been playing a strong role in promoting the application of certain plastics, for example, PET which is highly recyclable.

New medical injection molding systems under spotlight at CHINAPLAS

Chu: It is great to hear that digitalization and circular economy promote the better use of plastics. What do we expect visitors to see from Husky during CHINAPLAS?

Bastien: We are happy to be there and always delighted to be part of CHINAPLAS. Visitors can expect to see a range of solutions designed for the medical market with a focus on laboratory diagnostics and medical consumables, including a preview of our new and innovative blood collection tube system called ICHOR.

We are also going to present our industry-leading portfolio of hot runner technologies and mold controllers, including Ultra Helix. It is a type of valve gate offering a high level of precision, accuracy and consistency in highly demanding applications, such as those in the medical industry.

Husky’s new blood collection tube system ICHOR.

Ultra Helix valve gate nozzle.

Chu: Thank you very much. Lastly, what corporate culture does Husky pride on and would carry forward in the future?

Bastien: Husky’s corporate culture is that we are powered by people, knowledge, and experience. These three pillars have been fundamental to maintain the company’s longstanding industry-leading position. We believe that by leveraging these three pillars, Husky will continue to focus on creating innovative breakthrough and solutions that benefit the needs of the global community and environment, as well as to deliver quality outcomes for customers.