Nypro: We're not just about injection molding anymore
One of the biggest M&A stories in plastics last year was Jabil Circuit's acquisition of Nypro, bringing about many changes, but not to the venerable name.
Keeping the Nypro brand and name alive was "a big and important decision," according to Brian Highley, VP/GM Medical Device and Consumer Health Segment at Nypro Healthcare. Highley was part of Avail Medical Inc. when that company was acquired by Flextronics in 2008, and its branding was subsequently subsumed into the contract manufacturing giant.
During its acquisition due diligence, Jabil consulted with Highley on that Avail/Flextronics deal and what could have gone differently, and maintaining the well-regarded Nypro Healthcare brand was a key point.
Highley said that the integration of Nypro into Jabil is about 85-90 percent complete, with some big issues ongoing, including full integration into Jabil's ERP system, for instance. From a strategic standpoint, Highley said despite its "world's largest injection molder" rep, Nypro understands that going forward, the role it plays in the supply chain and the services it provides will be evolving.
"We're moving more towards a finished device model," Highley said. "Our history is in injection molding, but we have more value to add." Highley said the biggest trend his company sees in the medical market is cost consciousness, due in part to the medical device excise tax put in place to partially fund the Affordable Care Act (aka Obamacare) as well as the highly competitive nature of the space, making secondary services more and more important.
"We have a pretty good solution for these companies," Highley said. "We're not just injection molding anymore."
