Medical Device Link.

Originally Published EMDM September 2004

Industry News

Plastic moulded hooks that are designed to replace drip stands in hospitals and other settings are manufactured at Maxell Europe’s Telford facility.

Better known for its production of video- and audiocassettes, Maxell Europe Ltd. (Telford, UK) has hooked into a new market. Part of Hitachi Maxell, the firm recently announced the launch of Hook-It. These moulded plastic hooks have been described as a cost-effective alternative to the drip stands that clutter hospitals. Maxell manufactures the product for its commercial partner Medical Devices Technology International Ltd. (MDTI; Great Barr, W Midlands, UK).

MDTI has signed a product commercialization deal with the UK’s National Health Service (NHS) that can help the NHS to save millions of euros annually, according to MDTI. Many NHS trusts, adds the company, have begun to look at developing and commercializing their own ideas, replacing traditional products with home-grown inventions that are more user- and patient-friendly and less costly. Hook-It could be considered a model in this regard.

The device was invented by John Edwards, a registered nurse. The idea came to him while he was working in a hospital recovery room. “I had two patients to look after. They both had drips, but there were no drip stands anywhere,” Edwards recalls. “I looked to the heavens for help and [saw] the curtain rods. I can use those somehow, I thought.”

After much trial and error and countless months of research, Edwards drafted a rudimentary design in the late 1990s. He was heartened by the fact that, while there were a number of different curtain rails in use, 95% of them fell into one of two types. The potential market was there, but funding became an obstacle.

“I had no money to carry on with the process and couldn’t find anyone willing to back me,” he says. In 2001, Edwards placed a short article in his local newspaper seeking financial backing. He was contacted by a research and development agency from the Royal Wolverhampton Hospitals NHS Trust, which offered him assistance. Two more years were spent applying for patents, making prototypes, and sourcing a manufacturer, which is when Maxell entered the picture.

For Maxell director of manufacturing Barry Myers, the partnership with MDTI can set an example for industry as a whole. “We hope to demonstrate to our British manufacturing colleagues the value of being able to diversify,” says Myers. He views this venture as a demonstration of how a firm can regenerate its manufacturing base while putting its world-class technological skills to work.

As for MDTI, the company has high hopes that Hook-It will sever hospitals’ attachment to conventional drip stands. At the 2003 Royal College of Nursing congress, nurses in attendance almost unanimously expressed interest in seeing the product adopted by healthcare facilities.

To learn more about Hook-It, contact MDTI, The KaCE Ste., 22 Readers Walk, Great Barr, W Midlands B43 6PF, UK; phone: +44 870 4460340; fax: +44 870 4460341; e-mail: info@mdti.co.uk. For additional information about Maxell’s moulding and manufacturing services, contact Maxell Europe Ltd., Moulding Services Div., Telford, Shropshire TF1 6DA, UK; phone: +44 1952 522222; fax: +44 1952 522396; e-mail: mms@maxell.eu.com; Internet: www.maxellmouldingservices.eu.com. 

Copyright ©2004 European Medical Device Manufacturer