Medical Devices and Technology

Medtech companies face significant challenges, old and new. BCG uses deep industry knowledge, proprietary tools, and customized solutions to turn these challenges into opportunities.

med-challenge-gradient-tcm9-576.jpg
Even before the COVID-19 pandemic, companies in every sector of the medical devices and technology industry grappled with the quickening pace of innovation, slowing product pipelines, changing sales models, increased competition—and newer challenges stemming from the increasing presence of digital in every aspect of the business.

But the flip side of challenge is opportunity, and the opportunities in this high-growth, high-margin industry are many. They include using advancements in medical technology to improve health care delivery and embracing digital to improve operations. Our medical technology consulting experts help clients assess their priorities and strengths and then move decisively to optimize operations, marketing and sales, R&D innovation, and other parts of the business.

How We Help the MedTech Industry

Corporate Strategy and M&A
Medtech executives must react to slowing organic growth, price pressures, increased competition, and an evolving industry landscape, which includes new digital entrants. Our medical technology consulting experts help them manage their corporate portfolio of businesses and uncover opportunities to accelerate growth and expand margins. We also help them investigate buy- and sell-side opportunities and interact with investors, who continue to show keen interest in the market, fueling M&A activity.
Digital and Analytics
Access to data and analytics has altered the relationship between medtech companies and their customers, providing both parties with information that they can use to make better decisions faster. We help medtech companies incorporate advanced medtech analytics and digital capabilities in their operations, product offerings, and customer experiences.
Operational Excellence
Operational excellence is key to addressing increased competition, pricing pressures, regulatory and quality requirements, and the need to provide a better customer experience. We help companies improve operations by optimizing supply chains, manufacturing, procurement, field-service operations, and cross-functional processes, as well as by improving quality controls, product portfolio management, and asset management.
Commercial Operations Optimization
Medtech companies must update their sales and marketing models to respond to increasingly complex purchasing environments and partner with health care providers to unlock the potential of value-based health care. Our medical device consultants help clients optimize their commercial models to accelerate growth while becoming more efficient. We focus on go-to-market model innovation through digital and data-driven marketing, omnichannel sales approaches, dynamic pricing, beyond-the-product solutions, and customer excellence.
People and Organization
New times call for working in new ways. We combine our expertise in organizational management and change management with a deep knowledge of medtech market dynamics to help organizations create breakthrough innovation and commercial excellence. We also help companies implement agile at scale, digital transformation, and post-merger integrations.
R&D Innovation
Medtech innovation has become more challenging. We help organizations improve R&D innovation—and produce higher values as a result—through a mix of traditional means, such as portfolio optimization and process redesign, as well as best practices from players inside and outside the health care industry.

Our Client Work in the Medical Devices and Technology Industry

Next-Generation Sales. A leading medtech company used our Build-Operate-Transfer approach to prepare its sales function for the future and accelerate growth. The effort included launching a 150-person internal sales function to replace third-party manufacturers’ representatives. In less than a year, sales rep productivity doubled while sales costs dropped by 30%.
Global Supply Chain Transformation. A medtech enterprise cut 5% of its baseline distribution and logistics costs, while reducing delivery times and improving service levels, after we used big data and advanced analytics to improve the company’s global supply chain. Actions included redefining shipping lanes for more than 50,000 SKUs delivered to customers globally.
R&D Portfolio Optimization. After we analyzed and prioritized a US medtech company’s R&D portfolio, the organization redirected more than 25% of its R&D resources and investments to higher-priority projects and installed an enterprise-wide board to make decisions about strategic goals.
Medtech Analytics Creation. Our medical technology consultants created an analytics tool for a top-25 global medtech company. The tool uses natural-language processing to comb through electronic health records for symptoms of untreated and potentially severe cardiovascular disease and provides a mapping of the patients to their consulting physician and respective hospital system.

Our Tools and Solutions for the Medtech Industry

Our medical technology consulting practice blends its expertise in medtech strategies with a set of proprietary tools, including comparative benchmarks, databases, and other knowledge assets. Some highlights:

Our Insights on the Medtech Industry

Meet Our Medical Device Consulting Experts

Managing Director &amp; Partner<br/>Global Sector Leader, Medical Devices and Technology

Vikram Aggarwal

Managing Director & Partner
Global Sector Leader, Medical Devices and Technology
New York

Managing Director & Partner

Carla Spoerle

Managing Director & Partner
Munich

Managing Director & Senior Partner

Johannes Thoms

Managing Director & Senior Partner
London

Managing Director &amp; Senior Partner, Global Leader, BCG Henderson Institute Japan

Sam Karita

Managing Director & Senior Partner, Global Leader, BCG Henderson Institute Japan
Tokyo

Managing Director & Partner

Frank Jia

Managing Director & Partner
Shanghai

Explore Related Services