Outsourcing has long been a hot button issue in all segments of the life sciences. In the medical device development and medical instrument prototyping
industry, outsourcing initially took hold in the manufacturing phase, and companies raced across borders and oceans to capitalize on cheap labor for large profit gains. As the outsourcing wave continues to mature, this strategy is no longer strictly applied to manufacturing processes. Industrial designers are realizing that outsourcing other stages of Medical product design, most notably research and development, can result in large productivity gains, innovative products and competitive advantages.