Material Innovations Provide Solutions for New Orthopedic Products

Although orthopedic R&D is up, “elective” surgical procedures are being booked that had been delayed last year due to COVID-19; and new implants, devices, and instruments are in high demand, orthopedic device manufacturers are limited in their production output due to ongoing supply chain disruptions. Nearly every item in the supply chain is harder to get, sometimes with lead times as long as six months. In addition, the extreme excess demand/deficit has resulted in some big price increases by raw material suppliers, which are further impacting medical device manufacturers (MDMs). A shortage of qualified labor also adds to the production slowdown.

“Supply chain issues caused by the pandemic continue as suppliers struggle to catch up and find workers, but we have taken this into account and expanded our inventory so we have been able to ship a very large percentage of orders,” said Bing J. Carbone, president of Modern Plastics, a Shelton, Conn.-based provider of high-performance, medical-grade polymer stock shapes for the medical device industry.

Prices continue to esc