Telerex helps Novuqare with the development of PouchMatic

Quickly scaling up production is no problem with call-off orders

Long lead times for electrical components can significantly slow down manufacturing processes. 'With Telerex, I never have a problem with that,' says Floris Akkerman, Operations Manager at Novuqare. 'This partner always makes sure you can scale up as a company.' They do that by stocking touchscreens and power supplies, among others. Also for the brand-new PouchMatic.

Novuqare develops and assembles products for the medical and mechatronic markets, both under contract and under its own brand. 'All the products we make are intended for hospital, pharmaceutical or lab environments and must meet the highest quality requirements and standards such as ISO 9001 and ISO 13485 for medical products,' Akkerman says.

As an example, the Operations Manager cites the MAPLe for treating pelvic floor problems. The MAPLe's high-definition technology allows medical specialists such as pelvic physiotherapists to measure the activity of the patient's individual pelvic floor muscles. This makes it clear more quickly which muscles have the problem and allows for more targeted treatment.

Reliable sealing

Another important product line from Novuqare is the SealMate. The rotary sealers in this series are used, for example, by pharmaceutical companies and central sterile services departments (CSSDs) of hospitals responsible for sterile packaging of medical equipment and consumables.

'Something that is not sterile is packaged and then sterilised in an autoclave,' Akkerman explains. 'For a good seal, it is important that the sealing process is calibrated and validated on the parameters of speed, temperature and pressure. If the temperature in the sealer should be 180 degrees, there should be no deviation from that. You also have to be able to precisely measure the pressure at which a seal is made.'

With the SealMate, we still need to cut the bags to size in advance. 'The new PouchMatic cuts the bags itself from a roll of pouch material and then makes the seal,' Akkerman explains. 'That saves a lot of time during the sterilisation process. You use the touch screen to set how many bags you want, at what size and the required temperature.'

Long-term collaboration

Telerex has been Novuqare's partner for some 15 years when it comes to consulting and for supplying electronic components. 'For as long as I can remember they have been supporting us on issues related to power supplies and displays,' Akkerman states.

Not surprisingly, Novuqare has again chosen Telerex as the supplier of the power supplies and displays for the development of the PouchMatic. Those components do have different requirements for the PouchMatic, according to Akkerman. 'Because the PouchMatic has more mechanically moving parts, the power supplies are more heavily loaded. The display is also larger and more modern than the SealMate, and should be operable with gloves on.'

'We involved Telerex in the development of the PouchMatic early on in the process,' the Rosmalen-based company's Operations Manager continues. 'Telerex always provides input and offers tailored advice in the process. They fulfil the role of advisor and advised us which touchscreen fits the application and numbers we had in mind, and which screen is also easy to read when viewed at an angle. Moreover, this partner knows exactly what you need to do to successfully pass an EMC test. They have the specialists for that.'

A partner such as Telerex

The electronic and electromechanical component specialist is also helping to quickly scale up production of the PouchMatic. 'With electronic components, a delivery time of 20 weeks is not exceptional. Then you have a challenge when a big order suddenly comes in. However, we are not affected by that. Telerex keeps products in stock, which allows us to scale up very quickly.'

'Telerex is always easily accessible and always provides the customer with input,' Akkerman concludes. The company offers a broad product range of electronic components, with expertise in thermal management, EMC and connectors in addition to power supplies and embedded products. 'Regardless of the issue, Telerex always looks at where they can help and offers customised advice. And if they can't do something, they say that too. For me, that makes the difference between a supplier, and a partner like Telerex.'