Kaysun brought home the trophies once again this year from Rockwell Collins at its annual supplier event, winning both the Plastics Supplier of the Year Award and the prestigious capstone Lean Initiative Award.  (Here are links to the news releases Rockwell Collins and Kaysun issued for the 2009 awards – the 2010 announcements are forthcoming.)  Winning both awards for the second year in a row is a huge accomplishment for Kaysun and is a testament to the hard work and commitment  of   all Kaysun employees  to our Mission of being the Supplier of Choice (to our key customers).  It was an honor to receive these awards and especially sweet to be honored two years in a row!!

- Ben



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Interesting note earlier this week in Sabic’s Q1 earnings announcement.  The company reported a healthy profit – and also noted that its plastics business has made a “huge improvement,” based on increasing market demand.  Sabic is a strategic supplier to Kaysun – so we see this is as a positive sign for our industry and for the overall economy.  There’s still a long way to go, but it looks like we’re headed in the right direction.

- Ben

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Very interesting article in Medical Products Outsourcing magazine asks the provocative question above.  And true to form, MPO takes an in-depth and informative look at this topic.  Our experience has shown that medical devices are becoming more complex and often more compact, meaning higher demands for tight-tolerance parts and absolute precision and consistency. But more OEMs are finding they can achieve machine-like finishes without the time and cost of machined metal parts – by replacing them with precision injection-molded plastic parts. And they are benefitting from lower costs, speedier production time, with the highest levels of precision and consistency. Highly engineered plastics can make the difference in the intense competition to be first-to-market with the latest medical equipment.  Click here to read the entire MPO article.

- Ben

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Kaysun will be at the Plastics in Medical Devices conference in Cleveland April 12-14.  Sponsored by Plastics News, this event will provide a forum for pharmaceutical companies and device designers to lay out their requirements for plastics in the medical sector.  It will also offer workshops on “Plastics processing for the medical market” and “Polymer considerations in medical device design.”  Watch this space for a show report.

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The April 2010 issue of Modern Plastics Worldwide includes Kaysun in its annual list of “Notable Processors,” which “highlights processors around the globe who are doing their part to bring this industry forward.”   This year’s list includes 15 manufacturers from 8 countries, including Canada, China, Denmark, Iran, Japan, Poland, New Zealand and the US.  See below for the Kaysun profile and a link to the full article.

Ben Harrison   President and CEO, Kaysun Corp.
The best defense against a tough market is proving to be, among other things, a strong offense in bidding for and winning defense-related applications, according to Ben Harrison, who runs Kaysun Corp. (Manitowoc, WI), a family-owned custom injection molder. The company has been successful in a number of markets, but of late is seeing especially strong demand for its services from the defense and medical industries. Having these two industries in its corner also has helped it avoid some of the “heavy migration [of work] to low-cost manufacturing countries,” notes Harrison. “We’ve found the way to be successful is to provide the customer with more, and to be involved in difficult projects,” he adds.

That focus paid off big last year when his company, which employs about 150, won two supplier awards (Lean Initiative and Plastic Supplier of the Year) from Rockwell Collins, the only one of the communications and aviation electronics OEM’s 20,000 suppliers to win two. “We’ve done a tremendous amount of value-stream mapping and made some big changes, which led to a drop in lead times” for that customer, explains Harrison.

Kaysun wasn’t always so progressive. “Years ago, we just had molding machines and people,” he recalls. But over the years (it was founded in 1947) the company has seen that its customers grow to depend on it increasingly for its engineering resources. Recently, he adds, it has been especially aggressive in employing automation for tasks such as welding, machining, and potting to keep quality high, direct labor costs low, and to maintain high output. “We like to be on the cutting edge of technology,” notes Harrison.

The company also is leading the social media charge, with its own blog (which actually gets updated) and a LinkedIn page. “We’re doing quite a bit of social networking,” he agrees, and says it is starting to reap benefits for the molder. It also started its Partners in Progress program last summer, a series of technical presentations offered as webinars to its customers. “Our clients welcome the help,” he says, noting it’s another way to ensure his firm gets called on for those difficult projects.

Click here to read the entire article.

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More evidence of the growing appeal of “ruggedized” products that use advanced materials to improve  durability and protect  sensitive electronics.  At the recent CTIA show for the wireless industry, new rugged mobile phones and devices generated lots of buzz, including Casio’s GzOne phone and BlueAnt’s T1 headset.  This followed similar announcements at the Consumer Electronics Show earlier this year, with  Kodak’s rugged Playsport video camera and Olympus’ Stylus Tough still digital camera.  As we’ve noted here before, Kaysun is seeing increasing demand for ruggedized product designs in all the markets we serve, especially defense and medical.   We’re ready to apply ourexpertise on your next project!

- Ben

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Here’s a list of some of our favorite blogs, forums and Twitter pages that you may find interesting as well.   Make sure to let us know if we missed any of your favorites!

• IndustryWeek forums and blogs – several great manufacturing-related sources here, including The Manufacturing Life, by Chief Editor Steve Minter
• The Engineering Exchange – “developed by engineers for engineers”
• Engineering Materials – by Design News’ Doug Smock.  Check out his recent entry on a new grade of DuPont Zytel  that could be used  for vehicle exhaust systems!
• Design World Senior Editor Laura Carrabine’s Twitter page – for breaking news and commentary on materials
• Plastics, Composites and Coatings Community – a service of the Society of Manufacturing Engineers (SME), which also publishes Manufacturing Engineering
• Automotive DesignLine Engineering Blog – by Editor George Leopold, focused on electronics, but also a good source of news on the industry.  This site also has a very active forum

- Ben

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More evidence that social media is here to stay, and connecting every part of our lives.  An article in a  recent issue of the Institute for Defense and Government Advancement (IDGA) newsletter noted that the US Department of Defense (DoD) has relaxed prior restrictions on the use of social media by military personnel and that Admiral Mike Mullen, who is chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff and the top U.S. military officer, has a Twitter feed with more than 16,000 followers.

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I attended the Plastics News Executive Forum “Managing for Recovery” held March 7-10 and heard many interesting insights on the state of the economy, emerging markets, M&A activity and best practices.  Of all the great information presented, I gained the most insight from the panel discussion on “Challenges & Opportunities” in the medical devices market.  Alex Mastorakos, Global Sourcing Director – Plastics, Boston Scientific, was particularly insightful laying out what he felt defined a strategic partnership:

Common Vision – You need to align yourself with a partner that has a similar strategy and growth plan.

• Trust – In order for the relationship to be successful, you need to establish and maintain a level of trust, including full disclosure.
• Performance/Continuous Improvement – The culture has to be metrics-driven and focused on continuous improvement.
• People – The relationship has to be easy.  You need to put the right people in front of the customer.  Just because Ms. Jones has a PhD from MIT, doesn’t mean she should be the one in front interacting with customers.  Either the relationship is easy, or it isn’t.  The relationship needs to be easy. Period.
• Proactive Culture – Don’t just sit on your hands.  Add value to the customer relationship by educating, reducing costs, or providing more value to the customer.  The firms that are proactive and out in front with their customers are going to be the most successful because they are truly acting as a partner, not a vendor.

Great advice from a marketing leader in the medical device arena. I left the conference invigorated, as it reinforced my conviction that Kaysun is already on the right track building strategic partnerships with our clients.

- Ben

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On March 5^th, Kaysun participated in the “Medical Device Collaborative Gathering” in Green Bay organized by WiSys, the University of Wisconsin’s technology transfer program.

During my panel on “Best Practices to Identify Opportunities and Obtain Resources to Move an Idea Forward,” I provided input on business development, business planning and engaging contract manufacturers in design.  We fielded many questions about FDA compliance issues and choosing manufacturing and distribution partners.

One point this experience reinforced for me was the long time-to-market cycle for medical devices.  Attendees said it is typically 2-5 years from conception to market, depending on how highly regulated the device is.  This has two implications for Kaysun.  The first is partners that can help reduce cycle times can differentiate themselves and add great value to their customers.  The second is that to best serve the medical device market requires a commitment in both time and effort to help bring the product to market.  It was affirming to know that our engineering expertise, combined with advanced automation and testing capabilities represent a strong offering for medical device companies.

A capacity crowd attended the event last week, promoting great opportunities for networking and building new relationships.  Several Kaysun suppliers and a local product development company were in attendance.  I always enjoy getting together with our partners and especially enjoy following up on new referrals to build our mutual success.

Thanks to Aurora BayCare for hosting the event.

- Jeff Anderson

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