The Swiss Medtech Industry is characterised by small and medium enterprises. Especially the micro and small companies with up to 50 employees play an important role. More than 80% of the companies in the industry are of this size. But they play also an important role when it comes to innovation. According to the Swiss Medtech Industry Survey which was published yesterday “micro and small companies carry the weight of innovation.” This is because “micro manufacturers hold a very young product portfolio largely due to the high share of start-up companies in this class: 88% of all start-up companies belong to this class.”
The survey focuses on the challenges the industry is facing. Compared to the first publication of the Study in 2006, the environment for Swiss medical technology companies, which are a key branch of the Swiss economy, have undergone an extreme transformation. As the current surveys and key economic figures show, the medical technology industry is indeed still doing well, but the challenges have increased.
The average growth expectancy now rests at 5.9 % for 2012 and at 6.6 % for 2013, or almost half the growth rate seen in previous years. For many companies it appears that the golden days are over. “Five to ten years ago the margins amounted to, on average, over 10 %, today they come only within the single-digit per cent range.”, emphasise both authors of the study, Patrick Dümmler, Medtech Switzerland, and Beatus Hofrichter, IMS Consulting Group.
The internationally escalating pressure of costs, pricing and competition, growing regulatory requirements, scarce expert capacities and the strong Franc are the reasons for this development.
In view of the developments mentioned and according to the authors of the study, it is high time to act both for the sector and for the region as a whole. The medical technology industry must take an active role in market consolidation. In doing so, putting together service packages should not be reserved only for the medtech giants. Small and medium-sized businesses who alone do not have the necessary size for effective negotiations, can keep access to customers open by collaborating with suppliers of complementary services and products in Switzerland or by taking over foreign firms.
The authors of the study see potential solutions in the formation of national clusters and product and/or service pools, within which the suppliers of health services and products develop innovative solutions together to support the Swiss supply chain. For example, in wound treatment, the entire hospital infrastructure or, for an operation, all consumables could be made available in this way.
The Swiss Medical Technology Industry (SMTI) report, initiated in 2005, is a broad-based study and is published every two years by the Medical Cluster and supported by various organisations from the medical technology sector. Using business data (among other sources), the study presents the strengths and weaknesses, developments, innovations and trends which characterize the medtech industry in Switzerland. Additionally it covers where the challenges and opportunities lie and outlines the strategies that manufacturers, suppliers, service and trading companies use to deal with them. This year over 320 companies took part in the study which has also gained in scope in its questions and topics. In addition, the observations/results and outlooks of the study are supplemented with contributions from experts, for example on the topic of regulatory affairs.
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