MDM West is held in February at the Anaheim California Convention Center. It is one of the leading trade shows for medical component manufacturers. The show sectors are MetTech, Automation, Design & Manufacturing, and Plastics. Apple Rubber has been attending since the show’s early days when it was held in the Disneyland parking lot.
MDM is one of the largest medical design shows we attend in the US. Our largest show is Compamed in Germany. Since COVID, we have seen attendance accelerate back to pre-COVID levels. It was a very successful show for us. We saw many of our current customers and discussed both current and new business. We acquired many new leads for potential customers interested in working on new projects. It’s great to see renewed activity in the medical equipment market.
Many attendees visited our booth and praised our website, www.applerubber.com. They expressed appreciation for our easy-to-use O-Ring Gland Calculator and the extensive information available on seal design and rubber materials. We’re also noticing increased traffic to our Case Study page, which provides valuable examples of design challenges to consider when developing new devices. Additionally, our site’s search function is linked to our inventory and updated monthly. Our Hot Topic page features engineering papers addressing questions from our customers.
Due to the new administration’s trade policies, there has been considerable discussion about reshoring products. At Apple Rubber, we offer some offshore options, particularly for industrial applications. However, all of our medical-grade materials and products are manufactured at our facility in New York, allowing us to maintain better control and higher quality standards. We can produce our LSR medical-grade silicones in our certified Class 10,000 cleanroom. On the industrial side, we have increased our production to over 80% US-made products. Our use of LSR injection and rubber injection machines gives us a competitive edge over our offshore partners, providing highly reproducible cycles with lower overhead costs and improved quality.
MDM is an excellent design showcase where attendees can engage with engineers from all sectors. There was extensive discussion about design fundamentals. Apple Rubber has over six design engineers dedicated to helping customers create optimal seal designs or reviewing current applications to enhance seal performance. Customers can start this process using our Engineering Request form on our website. Consulting with our design engineers early can prevent installation issues, particularly in automated assemblies. We can also assist with material selection to avoid problems during the quality qualification process, especially regarding FDA compliance.
This year, we felt a sense of somberness for all those affected by the unprecedented wildfires north of Los Angeles. Having spent considerable time in that area over the years enjoying the magnificent views and local businesses, we hope our sales will contribute to applications that play a small part in rebuilding that wonderful community.
Once again, we would like to thank everyone for stopping by our booth. Please scan our Beluga Whale keychain to watch our new video. We hope to see more people next year from February 3rd through the 5th.