The MedTech Group Becomes Vention Medical

What’s in a name? A lot when you’re talking about corporate identity and brand recognition. South Plainfield, N.J.-based MedTech Holdings, Inc., a contract manufacturer specializing in the design, engineering and manufacturing of complex medical devices and components, recently launched a new name. The privately held firm now will be known as Vention Medical, along with the tagline “advancing your innovations for health.”

According to a statement released by Vention’s leadership, the new brand reflects the company’s “commitment to helping customers advance the innovative products and solutions that impact their businesses in a powerful way, and improve the health and the lives of people around the world.”

Vention Medical’s commitment is based on the experience of its three divisions: TDC Medical Inc., Advanced Polymers and The MedTech Group, a manufacturer of precision injection-molded parts for medical devices since 1979.

TDC Medical and Advanced Polymers joined the MedTech team within the last two years. TDC Medical Inc., based in Marlborough, Mass., which became part of the group in 2008, is a 6-year-old company specializing in the design of disposable single-use, hand-held instruments used in the therapeutic and surgical markets. Advanced Polymers, which joined last summer, is headquartered in Salem, N.H., and manufactures tubing and catheter balloons for minimally invasive surgical procedures. The company also makes extruded tubing for catheters and components and subassemblies for the catheter industry.

With all of these capabilities under one corporate umbrella, it was time to start unifying the brand and technologies, according to George Blank, Vention’s chairman of the board. Blank recently moved into his new role after serving as The MedTech Group’s chief executive.

He told Medical Product Outsourcing that the move to rebrand has “been in the works” for a while.

“It’s been about assessing where we’ve been and where we’re going, what our capabilities are and what we want them to be,” Blank said. “That was our starting point for re-creating our brand. The new name projects our new vision—more innovation, more capabilities to help our customers realize their goals.”

According to Blank, while each division of MedTech Holdings offered strong expertise and capabilities in its respective area of medical device manufacturing, this latest move represents management’s desire to leverage design, engineering, manufacturing, assembly and packaging knowhow in a cohesive one-stop solution for customers—drawing on an international network of manufacturing sites. In addition to South Plainfield, Marlborough and Salem, the company also has facilities in West Haven, Conn.; Sunnyvale, Calif.; Boulder, Colo.; Vega Baja, Puerto Rico; Heredia, Costa Rica; and Singapore.

But even as the company gets started with a new identity, it isn’t resting on its laurels for too long.

“We have committed ourselves to adding additional processes and technologies to help our customers solve their problems,” Blank said, adding that the new capabilities could come through internal development or via acquisition.

Blank said part of his new position will include the search for strategic buys for Vention, along with high-level customer and industry relations.

“There’s a lot of strategic work to be done. We have an acquisition plan to work with companies that are best in class and would be a good fit with Vention Medical,” he told MPO, adding that part of the company’s new direction is its recently named CEO, Dan Croteau, who comes to Vention following his position as president of FlexMedical, the medical product contract design and manufacturing division of Flextronics International Ltd.

“Dan has a great deal of knowledge about the operations side of the business, as well as being a champion for the customer, ” Blank said. “He’s well-regarded. He is passionate about best-in-class quality and continuous improvements of operations, and he has experience in international markets. He’s a strong advocate for creating the best value possible for customers.”

Blank explained part of the rebranding process has meant reaching out to existing and prospective customers for “important face-to-face” meetings.

“Our approach is straightforward,” he said. “We’re building on a great reputation, and our customers know us. We’re meeting with customers to explain in great detail about what our plans are and what our capabilities will be. In turn, we also need to better understand what their challenges are and how we can be in a better position to help them. These are exciting times.”