Background: The Sponsor was a division of a small multinational group based in Scandinavia specializing in packaging, plastic assemblies and other industrial plastic assemblies. The Sponsor's specialty was precision plastic injection molding and automated assembly performed in "a controlled environment."
In spite of running near capacity, the company's visionary management wanted to expand the company globally in new areas of business. It was unclear how the Sponsor's manufacturing and engineering systems stacked up against the world's state-of-the-art, and therefore, what competitive advantages it could bring to the international market.
Program Mission
Initiate international business expansion through sales and market development in areas that best leverage the Sponsor's core skills, technical assets and know-how. Focus on the healthcare market for new growth… an area where the Sponsor already demonstrated an initial success.
Program Objectives
- Position the Sponsor as a co-developer and manufacturer of high volume, clean room environment (CRE) and GMP produced, precision thermoplastic injection molded products.
- Obtain market intelligence required to assist Sponsor to design and implement an improved market-driven "system sales" approach.
- Determine how to position the Sponsor as an innovative product developer, specializing in product design optimization and value engineering.
- Implement a production and market expansion program using in-house resources initially in western Europe, with subsequent implementation in the US.
- Identify a qualified group of strategic alliance/acquisition candidates in the US and Europe to expedite growth.
Methodology and Resources Employed:
As a result of analyses and decisions made during Program Planning Workshops (6 intense days), the Summit System was focused on the global health care industry.... specifically pharmaceutical devices and functional packages; medical devices; and medical diagnostic products. A Panel of 13 international healthcare related companies were selected. Industry Opinion Leaders from these companies were prepared with an extensive briefing document outlining the attributes, core skills and know-how of the Sponsor and the objectives of the Summit… then assembled in Spain to attack the objectives under the guidance of two senior Summit facilitators.
Summit Panelists Included Decision-Makers From:
- Glaxo Group Research (UK) Research Manager, Device Development
- Hoffmann-La Roche (USA) - Manager, Packaging Development
- Sandoz Pharma Ag (USA) - Director, Packaging Development
- Zeneca (ICI) Pharmaceuticals (UK) - Senior Packaging Technologist
- Rhône-Poulenc Rorer (France) - Director, Pharmaceutical Sciences
- Upjohn Company (Belgium) - Manager, Technical Support & Engineering
- Fisons PLC (UK) - Manager, Technology Development Support
- Sterling Winthrop Inc. (USA) - Assistant Research Director
- Laboratories CUSI (Spain) - Director General, Research & Development
- Viggo-Spectramed (UK) - Manager, New Product Development
- Baxter Healthcare/Diagnostics (USA) - Sr. Engineer, Device Development
- Siemens AG/Medical Group (Germany) - Director, Material Engineering
- Johnson & Johnson (USA) - Director, Engineering Services
Results
- Learning that the Sponsor's integrated resources were at or beyond generally known world-class, ISIS developed a marketing positioning with strong competitive advantage.
- The Panel described ways for the Sponsor to take this package beyond state-of-the-art which would provide Panelists advantages not then available through any other known supplier in Europe, North America or Asia. A road map for resource expansion was developed.
- A host of specific project opportunities were identified by Panelists for their own companies.
- A new global division of the company was created (Panelists named it. ISIS wrote its first brochure).
- Several Panelists became initial multinational customers.
- Contracts for new business were signed within 12 months of the Summit Conference.
- Company's total annual sales moved from US$25 to $200 Million in 6 years following the Summit, a significant portion of which came from revenues of the new Perlos Pharma division. Sales reached nearly US$450 Million in 2001.
