Uno medical

Source: Exec Digital UK

Date :04/01/2008 10:50:57

Unomedical offers affordable single-use medical devices to professionals. ExecUK looks at the company’s new site in Slovakia

Written by Lucy Mowatt and Produced by Mark Skillicorn

Unomedical has experience in the production of single use devices which dates back to 1964, when the company was established under the name PharmPlast.

Since then the Danish company has gone through a number of ownership changes, including a number of acquisitions and additions to the product range. The company is now completely owned by Nordic Capital.

In 2005, the company made the decision to open a new site in Slovakia, which would significantly add to its manufacturing capabilities as well as to the number of workers it employs. The construction of the plant in Michalovce was completed in 2006. The site is ideally placed within Europe, owing to its proximity to its main customers, as well as being financially stable and offering lower costs.

The site in Slovakia measures 16,500 square meters and as such, becomes the largest facility owned by the Unomedical group. It will house at least 400 members of staff, who will work on state-of-the-art machinery. As a group, Unomedical is focused upon selecting employees that are aware of the quality standards required in the medical sector and are motivated to develop their own careers. The company actively encourages the use of cross-functional project teams, which means that employees get the chance to learn about other aspects of the company.

Courses and further education are also promoted from within, alongside regular training programs which encourage best practice and understanding. All of the staff at the Slovakian plant will receive intensive training in process procedures and quality assurance.

Medically focused

In the medical environment, quality and safety are essential factors to be considered. All of Unomedical’s devices are stringently sterilised using ethylene oxide, a chemical with proven sterilisation properties. Unomedical is audited at least once a year for sterilisation standards EN 550 and ISO 11135, which means that systems are effective and no bacteria make their way onto the equipment.

Packaging also plays an important part in making sure that all products are delivered safely. There are three types used by the company, and most of the packaging used for transporting the devices is recyclable. It is also trying to improve the levels of packaging that can be reused, while also reducing the amount of materials used for this in general.

The products manufactured by all of Unomedical’s units, including that in Slovakia, meet the requirements of ISO 13485. This certificate is essentially the medical equivalent of the ISO 9001 and although there are a number of differences, it acts as a guideline on products.

The company’s products have also held the CE label since 1995 and Unomedical was one of the first companies to do so. As such, the company is a leader in its field, demonstrating its ability to read market conditions and to face upcoming challenges.

Easy to use systems

Among the products developed by the company are those used in hospitals and clinics. These have been designed with the user in mind, to ensure that the products are easy to use and safe. The company can offer products for oxygen and anaesthesia purposes, endotracheal suctioning and monitoring. Products such as tubes, masks and nebulisers are all manufactured to be comfortable for the patient too. In some cases, patients need to be monitored, which can be carried out by urine monitors on an hourly basis.

Unomedical products can also be used in the operating theatre, offering wound drainage, suction sets and can also re-filter patient blood back into their body with its re-infusion system.

Unomedical also has significant experience in urine drainage technology. It is able to produce systems for both day and night time use which meet the requirements of hospital usage. These can also be offered as a pre-connected solution which saves healthcare workers time and reduces the risk of infection when the parts of the system are joined.

This technology has been developed for gastroenterological purposes, with a range of feeding, gastric and rectal tubes. Again, these products are designed to be easy to use and comfortable.

Unomedical can also supply accessory products, such as straps and hooks, which are used to fasten and use its devices, which means that it offers a complete product portfolio.

Accessory range

It also has a diverse range of wound care products, including the New Honey Mesitran, which is available in three formats or as two different types of ointment. These use the natural benefits of honey to encourage the healing of wounds and also control any odours.

The Sorbsan range has been part of Unomedical’s offering for 20 years and offers an effective way to heal a variety of wounds. The calcium alginate fibres create a soft gel structure which does not attach itself to the wound while encouraging the healing process. There are also foam dressings available, to cover a range of needs.

The company also produces a portfolio of electrodes for use in conjunction with ECG monitors. Solutions have been developed for anaesthesia departments, neonatal areas, and intensive and coronary care scenarios.

These have been designed to be skin friendly and comfortable for the patient while providing very accurate readings.

When developing these innovative and user-friendly products, Unomedical works closely with healthcare professionals around the world. In doing so, it gains an insight into what products can be improved and what is missing from the market, so that it can develop solutions.

The safety and protection of staff members is important to all hospital employees, which means that hygiene is crucial. By keeping both health worker and patient in mind, the best solutions for both parties can be developed.

The company’s website states that Unomedical seeks to constantly develop and modify its existing products. This is because the standards that the company has to meet, alongside the technology, are continually changing.

The quality assurance programs and R&D systems keep future developments in mind, meaning that Unomedical benefits from flexibility and improved services. All of the company’s products aim to be competitively priced because they are one-off devices, so that they keep the cost of healthcare organisations as low as possible.

Click here to visit the corporate brochure on Uno Medical