Smart Molding International 1-2021

46 smart_molding international 1/2021 molders Nonin Medical’s Onyx® Fingertip Pulse Oximeter The Nonin supplier selection team was looking for a long-term partner to manufacture components for its Onyx® fingertip pulse oximeters and other potential products. Onyx fingertip oximeters are small and lightweight. They measure and display functional oxygen saturation of arterial hemo - globin (SpO2) and the pulse rate of a person. Clipped to a finger or toe, the device is used in hospitals, clinics, long- term care facilities, emergency medi - cal services and home health settings. The first fingertip pulse oximeter on the market, Onyx has a durable hard plastic case designed to withstand vi - bration, shock, bumps and drops. Man - ufactured in black, blue and red, it has plastic channels that hold the batteries securely in place. In addition to Onyx fingertip oximeters, Nonin products are sold in 125 countries. Supplier Selection Process DPI was one of three plastic-injection molding companies that Nonin con - sidered. Prior to starting the review process, Nonin’s team developed a vendor selection matrix. Key consider - ations included a robust quality control system and comprehensive validation process as well as a convenient loca - tion for easy collaboration. Each can - didate company was asked to respond to a formal request for proposal and to provide a tour of their facilities. “We were transitioning from an - other plastic injection molder,” says Kristin Finberg, project manager at Nonin. “Searching for a new supplier was a big step for Nonin. We needed to be confident that the chosen ven - dor could meet our needs today and in the future. We ranked the companies based on the selection matrix criteria. DPI came out on top as a great fit.” Tooling, Validation and a Rapid Surge in Demand After many years of use, the tools used to make the plastic-injection mold components for the Onyx fin - gertip pulse oximeters needed to be replaced. Moreover, there were a few design changes that Nonin wanted to integrate into the product. Alex Crom - ett, DPI’s engineering manager, along with Aliza Alverson, sales engineer for DPI, developed an action plan and schedule for Nonin. To ensure good communication and a smooth process, the technical teams from both compa - nies held weekly status meetings. While Nonin had the product design completed, they relied on DPI’s experi - enced team for tool design that would deliver maximum manufacturability and consistent, high-quality compo - nents. As part of its continuous im - More than a year before the COVID-19 pandemic began, John Scrivener, a senior buyer from Nonin Medical, Inc., contacted Diversified Plastics, Inc. (DPI) to learn about the company’s capabilities and capacity as part of a supplier selection process. That was the start of a mutual partnership in the fight against COVID-19. Diversified Plastics meets the challenge of rapid global demand