Know about rebranding, tech-driven innovations, and strategic approaches propelling growth in the medical device outsourcing market
Recently 70-year-old Burke Porter Group rebranded as Ascential Technologies, uniting 18 brands across medical & life sciences, transportation, and specialty Industrial end markets. The company’s mission is to play an “Ascential” role for customers throughout the product life cycle, especially when quality and safety matter most.
We had the opportunity to sit down with Jeffrey Moss, who assumed the role of CEO at Ascential Technologies a little over a year ago. During our conversation, we discussed the company’s strategic direction, its commitment to innovation, and the key drivers fueling its future growth.
Jeff, please introduce yourself to our audience and tell us about your professional trajectory that led to your current role as CEO of Ascential Technologies.
With more than 30 years in the industry, I’ve been fortunate to have worked in various strategic and leadership positions that have shaped my career. Over the years, I have helped build robust global infrastructures and successful teams in advanced manufacturing technologies like robotics, automation, laser processing, material handling, and more. I developed my entrepreneurial spirit early in my career, working in industries ranging from automotive and aerospace to telecommunications. These experiences prepared me for my current role to lead Ascential Technologies into a future defined by innovation, customer dedication, and market success.
Can you tell us about the rebranding process from Burke Porter Group to Ascential Technologies?
Our new brand, Ascential Technologies, reflects the essential role we play in helping customers across the entire product lifecycle in situations where quality and safety matter most. The new brand simplifies our message to the market and reflects our continued commitment to innovation, technology, and excellence. Our 18 brands are now divided into three divisions.
Burke Porter division serves the Transportation Industry, expanding on our 70 years of innovation. This division stands as an industry pioneer and leader in end-of-line testing and laboratory dynamometers and boasts thousands of installations worldwide. The division’s expertise now extends to encompass a broader spectrum of mobility solutions. This includes onboard diagnostic (OBD) consultation and verification, precision machining for production processes, lifecycle testing services, propulsion module assembly balance, and test automation, as well as a range of aftermarket products such as ADAS (Advanced Driver Assistance Systems) calibration services, the foundation of which lies in data and analytics.
Ascential Medical & Life Sciences focuses on enabling product innovations. This division offers a comprehensive suite of products and services that span the entire spectrum of life-saving innovation. Our portfolio includes cutting-edge instruments and consumables, factory automation solutions, and medical devices. We play a vital role in accelerating the journey from concept to reality for critical advancements in fields like genomics, personalized medicine, and the development of new tools and instruments tailored for high-volume consumable testing and diagnostics.
Ascential Technologies Industrial Brands caters to industries such as HVAC, white goods, heavy equipment, and energy. This division serves as an essential partner to businesses in these sectors.
In looking at the next chapter for our company – as we transform – the opportunity to create a fresh identity, to lean into technology, and to embody the passion and aspiration of our employees became clear. This new brand allows us to simplify our message to the market and our customers.
Can you provide an example of how Ascential Technologies leverages technology and automation to help accelerate innovation for your customers?
A renowned Fortune 100 company specializing in adhesives, healthcare solutions, and electronics came to us to modernize its clinical product manufacturing process for commercial use. Facing time constraints, our challenge was to swiftly automate their intricate, custom-built products. We orchestrated a new manufacturing strategy, harnessing cutting-edge technologies like lasers, robots, and servos to streamline the eight-step production process. This precision reduced errors, enhancing production speed.
In addition, we guided them in embracing Good Manufacturing Practices (GMPs) for consistent quality, safety, and compliance. Beyond manufacturing, our services extended to HIPAA compliance, ensuring secure product handling and transportation.
The result? High-quality medical devices were produced swiftly and cost-effectively, securing our partner’s leadership in the medical manufacturing sector.
The US medical device outsourcing market is expected to grow at a compound annual growth rate of 11.5% from 2023 to 2030 to reach USD 58.5 billion by 2030. What specific factors do you believe are driving the continued growth of the medical device outsourcing market?
There are several factors contributing to the rapid growth of the medical device outsourcing market. As medical device companies continue to develop more complex products, there is an increased demand for experienced outsourcing partners that can support all of the areas of the product lifecycle. The increase in outsourcing is attributable to several factors:
- Increasing Complexity of Medical Devices: Medical device companies are continually pushing the boundaries of innovation, creating increasingly intricate products. This surge in complexity necessitates the involvement of proficient outsourcing partners who can proficiently handle all phases of the product life cycle.
- Scarce Skilled Workforce: The medical device sector faces a persistent challenge in recruiting and retaining skilled personnel for research and development (R&D) and manufacturing roles. To overcome this shortfall, companies are turning to outsourcing to access specialized expertise and resources.
- Footprint Reduction Strategies: Many medical device companies are adopting “footprint reduction” strategies, which involve streamlining their operations and focusing on core competencies. This strategic shift often leads to the outsourcing of certain device manufacturing processes and activities.
- Rapid Innovation: The medical device industry is marked by rapid technological advancements and innovation. Companies seek to expedite their time-to-market by outsourcing essential functions such as R&D, manufacturing, and automation, enabling them to keep pace with evolving market demands.
- Stringent Regulations and Precision Requirements: The production of medical devices demands adherence to strict regulatory standards and a high degree of precision. As a result, there is a growing demand for outsourcing services that can ensure compliance and support complex manufacturing throughout the entire product lifecycle.
How does this demand impact your company’s strategy?
Ascential is well-positioned to take advantage of the medical device market’s impressive growth rates. However, this market growth is not without challenges, especially in the medical sector’s regulatory landscape which demands meticulous compliance. Ascential’s focus on R&D, global supply chain management, risk reduction and continually pushing the technological edge will enable continued success in this burgeoning market.
As one of the few companies in the world that can manage the entire lifecycle of its partners’ complex medical devices, Ascential provides our customers with full R&D and manufacturing services support. We fuse combining “cutting edge” automation solutions with our expertise to enable rapid scaling for any medical device. Our full range of services ensures we can meet our customers’ increased needs at any point, from early development to scaled manufacturing, ensuring they can effectively meet market demands.
Our focused commitment to enhancing our customers’ “speed to launch” for their disruptive, complex medical devices sets the stage for Ascential’s growth to exceed the Compound Annual Growth Rate CAGR of the device market. Further, our expertise in high-growth subsectors, including drug-device combination products and point-of-care devices, provides Ascential with the ability to serve our customers with their most critical products.
How does Ascential Technologies build and maintain trust with its customers, and what sets the company apart as a trusted partner?
Our vision is to become the most trusted business partner for our customers, guiding and expediting their journey from product innovation to full-scale commercialization. Our commitment to quality and are of paramount importance is essential to our operational philosophy.
When we are building a lasting relationship with our customers, we look to understand them, offer tangible value, and deliver exceptional customer service. This requires going into the minds of your customers, uncovering their preferences, and discerning the driving forces that motivate them. This understanding empowers us to help customers go to market quickly with their exact specifications.
We believe our focused commitment to enhancing our customers’ ‘speed to launch” for their disruptive complex medical will allow Ascential’s growth to exceed the Compound Annual Growth Rate (CAGR) of the device market. Further, our expertise in high-growth subsectors such as drug-device combination products and point-of-care devices provides Ascential with the opportunity to serve our customers on their most critical products.
Lastly, what are the company’s future plans and goals as Ascential Technologies?
Ascential Technologies is driven by a straightforward yet powerful mission: our unwavering commitment to delighting our customers and empowering them to gain a competitive edge in their respective industries. We firmly believe that our success is intricately tied to the success of our clients – we thrive when they do.
Our mission is to leverage the power of science and technology to enhance lives. Central to our mission is the relentless pursuit of automating manual workflows, a driving force behind most of our engineering and manufacturing endeavors. Through these efforts, we are not just optimizing operations; we are also contributing significantly to the creation of a safer society.
Jeffrey Moss
CEO at Ascential Technologies
Jeff brings 30+ years of entrepreneurial, growth-oriented experience to the Ascential Technologies team built upon fundamentals that include customer obsession, continuous improvement, persistence, and the underlying belief that you win with people. Jeff comes to Ascential from Dematic, the global leader in warehouse automation. Jeff spent most of his early career as an entrepreneur serving the automotive, aerospace, and telecommunications industries.
