“We are constantly strengthening our presence in India”

Freudenberg Medical, a business unit of global technology group Freudenberg has announced its foray into India. The company designs and manufactures silicone tubing used in vaccine and drug processing. It also produces custom tubing for Oxygen Concentrators, Ventilators, Catheters, diagnostic test kits and other medical devices for customers worldwide. 

In this exclusive interaction with BioVoice, David Schwaas, Director, Marketing & Distribution, Biopharma, Freudenberg Medical shares details about the company’s business operations, product offerings, future plans and much more.

Please tell us in brief about Freudenberg Medical, its products and services, and operations globally? 

Freudenberg Medical designs, develops, and manufactures products for medical device and pharmaceutical companies from 11 locations worldwide.  We are a contract design and manufacturing firm and our manufacturing capabilities range from high precision molded components and medical/biopharma tubing to drug coatings, finished medical devices, catheter shafts and hypotubes for minimally invasive and catheter-based devices.  ISO 13485 certified quality systems and FDA registered sites are located throughout the Americas, Europe, and Asia.

Why did you decide to make a foray into India? How do you view the business environment and potential opportunities?

Freudenberg Medical has been serving biopharma customers directly and with the help of a few distributors in India for the past few years, supplying standard and custom silicone tubing & fluid handling products from our dedicated manufacturing sites in Germany and the U.S. In 2020, Freudenberg medical added a support team in India to meet the growing sales and service needs of biopharma customers in the region. The company’s parent company, the Freudenberg Group, has done business in India since 1920. It also supplies products for medical device & Biopharma customers in India with custom tubing & molded components for certain Biopharma applications, oxygenators, ventilators, catheters, and other medical devices.

We are constantly strengthening our presence in India to achieve our growth objectives through a combination of distribution partners, OEMs, and end users of Biopharma Industry.

How was the company’s revenue performance during FY 2020-21? 

Freudenberg spends considerable amount annually on R&D. Our global R&D team focuses on innovation in products and processing technologies in order to help our customers streamline efficiency and get their products to market faster.

Overall market size for your products in the Indian medtech space? What will drive the future growth?

The medical device market in India is estimated at around US$ 7 Billion & projected to grow to US$ 50 Billion by 2026. Currently, India imports around 80% of its medical devices. The Government of India has taken several steps to ensure the growth of a vibrant ecosystem of medical devices manufacturing in India over the past 5 years. Authorities have recognized Medical Devices as a sunrise sector under Make in India campaign, 2014. The Medical Devices Rule of 2017 has adopted risk-based classification based on GHT guidelines: Classes A, B, C, D & Perpetual licenses for manufacturers. The Medical Devices Amendment Rules of 2020 brings all medical devices in India under regulation as drugs. A Productions Linked Incentives Scheme for Medical Devices, 2020 has been introduced. There has been increased funding for Medical Devices Parks in the country, 2020. Financing Common Infrastructure Facilities in 4 Medical Device Parks with financial implications of Rs. 400 crores.

These initiatives will further propel the growth of core manufacturing of medical devices in India.