THE CHALLENGE - A top international manufacturer of single-use medical devices (SUDs) was concerned about the growing effect of third-party reprocessors (TPRs) on its revenues. Our client needed to know how large the TPR market was, whether it was a viable business model that posed a long-term threat, and ultimately, the business model's weak points in order to combat the practice. The client also wanted to know what strategies the TPRs were using to grow their businesses, how their operations were run, and what types of products they were targeting for reprocessing in the future.

CONSULTING APPROACH - Our market research and consulting teams interviewed top managers at every TPR in the United States, as well as other OEMs who were facing the TPR threat. We gathered detailed financial, strategic, and operational information from the TPRs in order to craft a very detailed and accurate description of the market and a strategic path for our client to negotiate its challenges. We also spoke with the FDA and other professional and advocacy organizations to get their perspective on the market and reprocessing trends.

IMPACT - We presented our strategies in person to a multidisciplinary client taskforce and, when combined with their own internal research, helped them to create a comprehensive strategic approach to address the challenges faced by TPRs. Our client was extremely pleased with the level of qualitative and quantitative detail in our presentation as well as the amount of proprietary, competitive information we were able to extract from TPR interviews. Eight months after the delivery of our project, the client adopted one of our suggested strategies by launching a national patient education campaign.