Partnerships in business

The company’s products span devices from those that make blood testing more comfortable, to solutions that make it easier to administer life-saving medication. Owen Mumford’s Managing Director, Jarl Severn, discusses why partnerships are important for the company and what makes an ideal partner.

The medical device industry in the UK is a highly competitive market. As a result, in addition to developing and manufacturing devices under the Owen Mumford brand, we have a large number of established partnerships with pharmaceutical and diagnostic companies where we design and develop products across multiple therapy areas, which are then sold under the partner’s brand.

Building on the success of these partnerships, we are now applying the knowledge and experience we have acquired in this area to establish strategic alliances with like-minded companies to market their products under the Owen Mumford brand. We have found that these strategic partnerships provide a win-win situation for both parties, opening up business opportunities and building on existing market access.
A good example of a strategic alliance working in practice is our recent collaboration with Atomo Diagnostics, a product design and manufacturing company based in Sydney, Australia.

Atomo specialises in the development of integrated rapid test devices, including the innovative HIV product, Simplitude™ Pro HIV (1&2), commercialised throughout Europe by Owen Mumford. This is the world’s first rapid diagnostic test for HIV with a built-in safety lancet, blood collection unit and test strip which delivers a result in 15 minutes. Unlike standard, multi-component rapid test kits, Simplitude™ Pro HIV (1&2) integrates the features and functionality in a single handheld, easy-to-use device.

John Kelly, Atomo’s founder and chief executive officer explains, “The partnership with Owen Mumford is a perfect strategic fit, our companies having complementary skills and capabilities. In addition, Owen Mumford have a track record of successful commercialisation, an International network of distributors and knows how best to take a product to market.”

Having shared values, drive and ambition was very important for us, and we could see that innovation provided by Simplitude™ Pro HIV (1&2) was going to be key to the treatment of HIV in Europe.

It’s important to understand that there is a misconception that HIV has disappeared in Western countries and that Africa is the area that is most affected. In reality, HIV is a growing problem particularly in Eastern Europe and hence the launch in the European market is highly significant.

John Kelly confirms, “Owen Mumford are a long established, respected company. We have been impressed by their professionalism and expertise, as well as its pan-European sales infrastructure. Our partnership means that people in Europe will now have access to simpler, safer HIV rapid testing.”

Atomo and Owen Mumford collaborate closely, despite our head offices being separated by more than 10,000 miles! Although Atomo has a UK sales office in Bloxham, Oxfordshire, close to our Woodstock head office, most of its senior personnel are based in Australia. However, neither the distance nor the time difference have been obstacles to the partnership, with our teams communicating regularly; indeed, we are now exploring further strategic opportunities for collaboration in the future.

In addition to this new partnership, Owen Mumford have many ongoing partnerships, including working with seven of the 10 most successful pharmaceutical and diagnostic companies, many smaller organisations and numerous distributors.

Tania MacKenzie, our Senior Product Manager Diagnostics sums up our approach. She says, “At Owen Mumford we have worked hard to build a reputation for developing and delivering full-service solutions in partnership with manufacturers and distributors. We provide a custom-made service for device development from concept through to manufacturing, including design, QA compliance, commercialisation and full regulatory approval.”

Within diagnostics, innovative medical devices, particularly those delivering remote and self-diagnostics are in demand, resulting in significant opportunities to bring life-changing products to a world population of more than seven billion. We believe that partnership is the most effective way to deliver our mission to provide innovative solutions that exceed expectations, encourage compliance and improve quality of life. Making a World of Difference, to a World of People, and in doing so support the growing needs of our global population.