Andrew Davidson

Andrew Davidson

Managing Director of DTR Medical Ltd, DTR Medical

Q: How long have you been with the company?

A: I have been with DTR Medical since it started in early 2005.

Q: What made you choose a career in this industry?

A: Medical device development is very rewarding, because the response to clinical need and the pace of innovation can be relatively quick.

Q: What is your professional background?

A: I have a biological sciences degree from The University of Sheffield and a Diploma in marketing. I am also a member of the Institute of Directors and I am a Director of MediWales, the Welsh life science industry network.

Q: What was your job before this one?

A: I was Commercial Director for Shield Medicare, a company involved in cleanroom contamination control, which is now run by Ecolab.

Q: What are your plans for the future?

A: To make DTR Medical a significant player in the single-use surgical instruments market globally.

Q: What do you think your experience can do to advance the interests of the company?

A: I was involved in growing Shield Medicare from a small business to an international organisation with its own production facility selling products around the world. My aim is to do the same with DTR Medical.

Q: Do you find your job rewarding?

A: I find the job extremely rewarding, because I can see the effects of the team’s efforts in our growth. As we expand, we can employ more people and develop each person. This, in turn, generates our next push with new products, increased marketing and, ultimately, more satisfied customers.

Q: What is your most popular product/service and why do you think that is?

A: Our biopsy punches are the most popular line because of the need for a sharp, clean cut from an instrument that works first time in a busy clinic. Our Bonney Polyp Forceps are growing rapidly and I think this is because they have a fine jaw and are made of metal to make them very easy to use.

Q: How do you keep up to date with changes in the market?

A: My sales team operate as business managers, meeting current demand, whilst also enquiring what clinical customers’ needs are for the future. We are most commonly asked, ‘do you do?’ and ‘can you get?’ and we endeavour to satisfy these requests where possible.

Q: Do you have any new products on the horizon?

A: We always have a pipeline of some 20 products in development. Our new Rotating Cervical Biopsy Punch represents a new process of product development and we’ve worked with the Astute programme led by Swansea University to develop these processes alongside our industrial partners.

Q: Do you foresee much expansion in the coming years?

A: We achieved the MediWales Outstanding Growth Award for 2007 and 2009, and continually grow every year, making us optimistic about future expansion.

Q: How do you advertise your products?

A: We promote our products in medical and clinical journals through advertising and articles, and also via the DTR Medical website www.dtrmedical.com and through online advertising banners and profiles with leading sector websites, and at exhibitions like the BSCCP. Direct contact with our Sales and Customer Service teams is a very important part of the process.

Q: What makes you different from your competitors?

A: We occupy a high quality position, where our single-use instruments match the standards of reusables. This only works with the highest standards of customer service to ensure the instruments are readily available worldwide.

Q: What technological innovations have you introduced?

A: We have recently introduced metal injection moulding to make the jaws of our new rotating biopsy punch. Prior to this, we brought manufacturing back to the UK by utilising computer controlled machinery to compete with low cost Far East production.

Q: How successful have you been to date?

A: We have innovated in order to manufacture 50 percent of our products in the UK and we will continue to do more.

Q: How important are good customer relations?

A: Customer relations are vital; we visit up to 200 people per week through the Sales Team and Customer Service follow up to check that they are satisfied with our service. Prompt action on any issue is communicated straight away if required, so customers can plan accordingly.

Andrew Davidson is the Managing Director of DTR Medical Ltd, who manufacture high quality, single-use instruments for use in ENT/MaxFax, gynaecology, orthopaedics, general and vascular, and neurosurgery.

DTR Medical Ltd
17 Clarion Court
Clarion Close
Enterprise Park
Llansamlet
Swansea

Tel: +44 (0) 1792 797 910
E-mail: info@dtrmedical.com

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