In Brief
Filtertek Sold to
Esco Electronics
Esco Electronics Corp. (St. Louis, MO, USA), a worldwide manufacturer of defence and commercial systems and products, acquired Filtertek Inc. (Hebron, IL, USA) from Schawk Inc. (Des Plaines, IL, USA). Filtertek will continue operations under existing management, according to Esco. The 1025-employee unit, which encompasses facilities in France, Ireland, and Puerto Rico, as well as in Illinois and California in the United States, will retain its current president, Ronald J. Kay.
For more information, contact Thierry Pratt, Filtertek S.A., ZA du Prè de la Dame Jeanne, BP 11, F-60128 Plailly, France; phone: +33 344 541990; fax: +33 344 543892.
Papyro-Tex Achieves
ISO 9002 Certification
Denmark-based Papyro-Tex, a maker of calendered PVC sheeting, has achieved ISO 9002 certification. The medical and sanitary sheeting is available in widths from 50 to 1700 mm and in roll lengths up to 3500 m depending on thickness. The sheeting comes in a wide array of colors and embossings, printed or unprinted, and in full or slit widths according to customer specifications. Papyro-Tex products are used for urine drainage bags, incontinence products, operating-room sheeting, and enteral feeding bags.
For more information, contact Peter Sorensen, Papyro-Tex A/S, 32-36 Skinderskovvaj, DK-2730 Herlev, Denmark; phone: +45 44 944000; fax: +45 44 941755.
Wesley Coe to Open
New Cleanroom
Wesley Coe (Cambridge) Ltd. (Cambridge, UK) will have a 144-m2 Class 10,000 cleanroom operational and available for subcontract assembly, manufacturing, and packaging work by June of this year. Currently, they have a 60-m2 cleanroom devoted to the assembly and packaging of medical devices.
Cleanroom operations include the injection and packing of an ultrasound gel, the cutting and packing of silicone-rubber sterilization O-rings, and the packaging of an intraocular lens. Wesley Coe produces an FDA-approved long-term female sterilization implant. The in-house process for this product includes bonding silicone rubber to a titanium frame.
Wesley Coe also offers glass and quartz manipulation for the medical device industry, the manufacture of glass-to-metal electronic connectors, and electroplating.
Contact Simon J. W. Coe or Ron Briggs, Wesley Coe (Cambridge) Ltd., Scotland Rd., Cambridge CB4 1QF, UK; phone: +44 1223 363252; fax: +44 1223 356693.
Eagle Stainless Tube Doubles Size of Plant
Eagle Stainless Tube Corp. (Franklin, MA, USA) has increased the size of its Franklin plant by adding a 21,000-sq-ft addition adjacent to its current 17,000-sq-ft plant. The new workspace more than doubles the manufacturing capabilities of the company.
Robert Bubencik, president of Eagle Stainless Tube, says that the new facility, which has been fully operational since March, incorporates state-of-the-art technology plus new manufacturing software. Bubencik adds that quality assurance programs continue to be aligned to ISO 9002 standards.
Eagle supplies stock and custom-cut stainless steel, aluminium, titanium, and nickel or nickel-based alloy tubing and bars to a wide array of industries.
For more information, contact Robert Bubencik, Eagle Stainless Tube Corp., 10 Discovery Way, Franklin, MA 02038, USA; phone: +1 508 5288650; fax: +1 508 5201954; E-mail: eaglestainless@world net.att.net.
Parker's JBL Division Now Offers Fabrication Services
JBL Division (Spartanburg, SC, USA), a subsidiary of Parker Hannifin Corp. (Hemel Hempstead, Herts, UK), now offers custom fabrication services for precision extruded and spliced solid cord, hollow tubing, and asymmetrical profiles using silicone and EPDM materials.
Explains Brandon Turner, JBL Div. marketing manager, "As a complement to our existing manufacturing capabilities, JBL can now offer our customers three types of products: extruded and precision cut seals for static sealing applications, continuous-length extruded profiles, and large-diameter vulcanized rings."
JBL serves a variety of markets including the medical industry through the design and manufacture of custom precision seals for static applications. The division also offers material-selection assistance.
For more information, contact JBL Div., 3025 West Croft Cir., Spartanburg, SC 29302, USA; phone: +1 864 5737332; fax: +1 864 5834299; E-mail/Internet: http://www.parker.com.
LNP Engineering Plastics
Earns ISO 14001 Certification
The Raamsdonksveer plant of LNP Engineering Plastics Europe B.V. (Netherlands) recently achieved ISO 14001 certification. The aim of this standard is to support environmental protection in balance with socioeconomic needs. "LNP is one of the first companies in the plastics industry to be registered according to this standard," states Hans van Straaten, LNP's quality assurance manager.
For more information, contact Lia Tabbers, LNP Engineering Plastics Europe B.V., Ottergeerde 22-28, NL-4941 VM Raamsdonksveer, Netherlands; phone: +31 162 587600; fax: +31 162 587730.
Medical Device Consultants
Announces European Subsidiary
Medical Device Consultants Inc. (MDCI; North Attleboro, MA, USA) has formed a European subsidiary, Medical Device Consultants International Ltd. (MDCI Ltd.; W Sussex, UK) to better serve the global needs of its clients. MDCI Ltd. will provide regulatory, clinical, and quality assurance consulting services to help medical device and diagnostic product manufacturers meet national and EU requirements. John L. Webster, managing director of MDCI Ltd., has 25 years of quality assurance, regulatory, and management experience.
For more information, contact MDCI Ltd., 58 Horsham Rd., Crawley, W Sussex RH11 8PA, UK; phone: +44 1293 429608; fax: +44 1293 519121.
EUCOMED Changes Management Structure
The European Confederation of Medical Devices Associations (EUCOMED, Brussels) announced two new appointments at its annual meeting held recently in Lisbon.
As of 1 January 1997, Jean-Marie Vlassembrouck, vice president of public affairs for Baxter World Trade (Brussels) assumed responsibilities as chairman of the pan-European organization. Vlassembrouck has a long and distinguished record in the medical device industry and with EUCOMED, where he has served as vice chairman, chairman, and director of commercial and public relations, and as director of healthcare and trade policy. Upon accepting the position, Vlassembrouck offered tribute to past chairman Ulrich Nafe and expressed his determination to continue to uphold EUCOMED's influence on issues relevant to the medical device industry.
The second appointment was of Michael C. Baker to director-general of EUCOMED. Baker, who had been serving as secretary general of the European Sterilization Packaging Association, had been performing director-general duties on a part-time basis since October. (An interview with Baker appears in this issue's Q&A section.)
For more information, contact EUCOMED, Rue du Collège St.-Michel 17, B8-B-1150, Brussels, Belgium; phone: +32 2 7722212; fax: +32 2 7713909; Internet: http://www.eucomed.be.
Shows and Conferences
Italy Hosts BiOS Europe '97
BiOS Europe '97 takes place in San Remo, Italy, on 4-8 September at the Hotel Londra/Centro Congressi. Topics to be discussed at the conference include photochemotherapy, laser dermatology, endoscopic techniques, fibre-optic sensors, optoelectronic systems and lasers, and biomedical delivery systems.
For more information, contact Karin Burger, Direct Communications GmbH, Xantenerstr. 22, D-10707 Berlin, Germany; phone: +49 30 8815047; fax: +49 30 88682946; E-mail: 100140.3211@ Compuserve.com; Internet: http://www.spie.org/info/ebo97.html.
Biomaterials Conference Addresses Regulatory Affairs
The European Society for Biomaterials is hosting the 13th European Conference on Biomaterials at the Svenska Mässan Congress in Göteborg, Sweden, on 4-7 September 1997. International experts will speak on topics ranging from biohybrid organs to bone regeneration to tissue engineering, and workshops are scheduled to address issues related to the clinical monitoring of implants and high-resolution interface analysis. A preconference satellite symposium on 3 September will focus on the role of the biomaterials scientist in the development and implementation of standards and rules for regulatory control of medical devices.
For more information, contact the 13th European Conference on Biomaterials, c/o Congrex Göteborg AB, Box 5078, 402 22 Göteborg, Sweden; phone: +46 31 7088200; fax: +46 31 203620; E-mail: 13ECB@swefair.se; Internet: http://www.13ECB.gu.se.
