Design is much more than just gorgeous sofas and user-friendly smartphones. It is also a mindset that companies can use to create change and drive business innovation. That became clear to Elos Medtech Pinol when they joined the PLUS-project. Together with the design agency MOEF, they extended Elos Medtech Pinol’s business to also offer consultation for commercialization, quality assurance and legislation in the medical device industry.

Pinol Finmekanik became Elos Medtech Pinol in the mid-nineties

Pinol Finmekanik started in 1969 in Danish Gørløse. At that time, the company was primarily a subcontractor of small components to the major players in the Medtech industry. Over the years, the company started developing their own medical device products focusing on the dental industry and in 2006, the company joined forces with Elos Medtech and changed name to Elos Medtech Pinol. The company has gone through many changes since it first started and one of them took place when cooperating with the design agency MOEF.

MOEF – a creative house of product development and concept creation

The Model & Effect Factory was founded in Copenhagen, Denmark, in 2001. The company produced special effects and visual concepts for advertising, films and exhibitions. Their goal was to be a creative house for ideas and concepts across industries. Five years later they established a design department. Gradually, they changed focus towards product development and concept creation and because of their new strategy, they shortened the name to MOEF. Today, they deliver solutions for business development, strategy, product development and innovation as well as communication and sales concepts especially for technically complex and regulated businesses.

PLUS-project brings together companies and design agencies

The cooperation between Elos Medtech Pinol and MOEF is a part of the so-called PLUS-project. The project brings together 12 companies with 12 design agencies that will solve different innovation challenges. The thesis is that design methods can advance business innovation and the ability to quickly and sharply develop new business ideas and services with a clear customer focus. For example, in the form of user-driven development, visual tools, experimentation and rapid prototyping. The project is supported by the Market Development Fund and is driven by the Danish Design Center, Danish Industri (DI), the Technical University of Denmark and the design industry organization Design denmark. Each partnership receives 250,000 Danish crowns from the Market Development Fund. Also, every company commits to pay 50,000 Danish crowns to cover additional costs.

Elos Medtech Pinol is a highly specialized company. Early on, we identified the opportunity for them to shift their position in the market from subcontractor to adviser and developer of new products. The company has a broad and deep knowledge of a niched market that is truly valuable to their customers, says Ida Storm Jansen, Project Manager at MOEF.

Design brings methods that companies can use to create change

The aim with the PLUS-project is to show Danish companies that design is much more than just gorgeous sofas and user-friendly smartphones, but also a mindset and a number of methods that companies and organizations can use to create change. This is highly relevant for Elos Medtech Pinol that operates in business areas that over the years have become increasingly regulated by authorities, and where production methods are highly automated. This development has led to a focus on quality assurance, knowledge of global rules and regulations of medical devices as well as continuous product innovation. Therefore, a repositioning on the market was a great opportunity for Elos Medtech Pinol.

Consultation regarding commercialization, quality assurance and legislation

The last couple of years, Elos Medtech Pinol has been working towards a business offer that also include consultation. The cooperation between Elos Medtech Pinol and MOEF focused on developing Elos Medtech Pinol’s business and identifying what a consultation offer would mean for the customers. In addition to the physical production, Elos Medtech Pinol now offers consultation regarding commercialization, quality assurance and legislation in a global and extremely complex area. Something that Søren Olesen, Managing Director at Elos Medtech Pinol has high hopes for.

“We expect our consulting area to achieve five times higher turnover in 2020 compared to today. In addition to a smart solution business wise, every future project will now lead to our desired position as a reliable knowledge partner who enhances our customers’ ambitions of creating powerful products on the market”, says Søren Olesen

A producer and product developer in the Medtech industry

Elos Medtech Pinol has always considered themselves to be a producer of medical device products for the dental industry. However, after cooperating with MOEF, we started identifying us as a company that also work with product development. The change in identity is described as a paradigm shift for the company since we now have started to adapt and develop workflows and sales activities.

“The intensive process with MOEF has opened our eyes. For ten years, we have been working on a similar strategy, but we have had difficulties describing and communicating our services to our customers. Today, we have redefined our services, and the service package is now flexible and open to our customers’ needs”, explains Søren Olesen.

I hope you enjoyed reading my article about Elos Medtech Pinol and our cooperation with MOEF. Would you like to know more about our cooperation and the results coming out of it, please don’t hesitate to contact me. Also, feel free to visit our website and interact with us on social media.