2010 Plastics in Medical Devices Conference

April 12-14, 2010
Cleveland, Ohio, USA

Why Cleveland? Here's why ...

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At first glance — at least to those who don't live in Northeastern Ohio — Cleveland may seem an odd choice as the location for our Plastics in Medical Devices 2010 conference. But it actually makes perfect sense. Here's why:

The region is booming in bioscience...

Of the top 30 global medical device companies, "18 are based in the U.S., and 11 of the 18 U.S. firms are headquartered in the Midwest," states Michael S. Rosen, Senior VP - New Business Development for the Science & Technology Group at Forest City Enterprises Inc., in this story last August from MidwestBusiness.com. Rosen says the U.S. Midwest has emerged as the world's key region for medical device manufacturing. This Cleveland+ web site offers a wealth of relevant facts and figures, including:
- Northeast Ohio has 60 hospitals, 30 colleges and universities, strong manufacturing capabilities, plus billions of dollars in private and public investment in the biomedical/healthcare field;
- The region's industry is growing on average by 7.4% annually and is home to 600+ biomedical businesses;
- The region features several nationally-ranked institutions, including Cleveland Clinic, University Hospitals, Case Western Reserve University and Summa Health System;
- The region's companies and healthcare institutions employ more than 230,000 health care and bioscience workers;

Based in Cleveland, BioEnterprise is a business formation, recruitment and acceleration initiative designed to grow healthcare companies and commercialize bioscience technologies in the region. The Reports section of the BioEnterprise web site further documents Northeast Ohio's strength and pace of growth in this field.

The world-renowned Cleveland Clinic, the city's largest employer, has a sprawling campus, numerous satellite facilities, and consistently ranks among the nation's best hospitals.

About 30 miles to the east of downtown Cleveland is ASM International, a society of 36,000 materials scientists and engineers with a strong focus on medical device and biomedical research and development.

About two hours to the south, in Columbus, the 20,000-person Battelle Memorial Institute runs possibly the world's largest healthcare and biomedical R&D operation, again with a focus on medical devices.

Also in Columbus is BioOhio, a nonprofit founded in 1987 as the Edison BioTechnology Center, and designed to build and accelerate bioscience industry, research and education in Ohio. BioOhio claims there are more than 400 bioscience firms in the state involved in medical device and equipment manufacture, plus another 500 contract manufacturers and suppliers. BioOhio claims there are more than 400 bioscience firms in the state involved in medical device and equipment manufacture, plus another 500 contract manufacturers and suppliers. Search for yourself in its recently updated Ohio Bioscience Resource Directory.

And a strong polymer base...

Just down the road is University of Akron with its nationally recognized College of Polymer Science and Polymer Engineering, and Akron also is home to the fledgling Austen BioInnovation Institute, which has declared its intention to become a global leader in biomedical research. Last November it put out this news release titled "Ohio Becoming Global Hub for Biomedical Research and Commercialization," which highlights Ohio's strengths in both the polymer industry and medical fields.

This June 1 Crain's Cleveland Business story, titled "Medical market a healthy alternative," stated: "...the medical arena operates by many of the auto industry's rules; it requires the same type of quality audits and ISO certifications, and medical companies want suppliers to participate in the product engineering process like they've done with automakers. Plus, many of the parts medical equipment manufacturers need are similar to the metal, plastic and rubber components made for the auto industry."

Ohio's state capital also is home to PolymerOhio Inc., a nonprofit that aims to help connect the research/academic sector with commercial polymer companies.

Finally, Plastics News has more than 11,200 active subscribers within a 250-mile radius of Cleveland. Ohio ranks #2 nationwide in plastic product shipments, behind only California, and also is an industry leader in plastics compounding and other important industry sectors.

And now you know why...

There is a palpable energy and momentum to the fast-growing biomedical and medical-device market in polymer-rich Northeastern Ohio, making it a logical location for our first U.S.-based Plastics in Medical Devices conference.