Kaizen (continuous improvement) is a key principle behind lean manufacturing initiatives in all industries.

Plant floor layout in the medical device industry is typically dictated by the types of products being produced.

Traditionally, hearing aids, pacemakers, defibrillators, cochlear implants, neurostimulators and other medical devices depend on lithium-ion batteries. However, batteries add extra weight. Batteries also raise numerous safety and reliability concerns.

CLEVELAND—The CNH tractor assembly plant in Wichita, KS, and the Ethicon medical device assembly plant in San Lorenzo, Puerto Rico, are among six U.S. factories picked as IndustryWeek’s “Best Plants.”

Over the last decade, lean manufacturing has been prescribed as a cure-all in a wide variety of industries.

“Implementation of the medical device tax will cost our economy thousands of high-paying jobs.” —Gail Rodriguez, MITA

Looking back on the campaign, it was refreshing to hear candidates from both parties tout the importance of U.S. manufacturing.

With the election over and the economy picking up steam, manufacturers are poised to reinvest in their assembly plants.

More than 30 years after the Tylenol tampering case—in which seven people died in Chicago and surrounding suburbs—prescription drug safety remains critically important and an ongoing challenge for pharmaceutical manufacturers.