Aras Platform Helps Make Med Tech Company Faster

Ottobock, specialist for prostheses, orthoses, exoskeletons and wheelchairs, has advanced its digitalization of its research and development (R&D) activities after a successful implementation of the Aras platform. The PLM capabilities of the Aras platform now provide the medical technology company in Lower Saxony, Germany, with greater power, transparency, speed and—critical for medical products—greater safety.

“With Aras, we have found a solution for our R&D activities that perfectly aligns with the high demands of the medical device industry,” says Erik Albrecht-Laatsch, director of Engineering at Ottobock. “Not only does the system architecture and the upgradeability of the platform meet our needs, but we have a strong relationship with the Aras team who led us through the entire project without delay.”

PLM Project Becomes Benchmark 

In addition to the PLM functionalities developed specifically for medical technology companies, following an agile approach was critical, according to the companies. “If I want to use a PLM system to develop prosthetic legs or hands, then my platform has to measure up to the quality and safety standards required by the industry,” says Andreas Mueller, senior vice president—Global Alliances at Aras. “With this agile approach, Ottobock could fulfill the requirement that a completely validated (PLM) solution was available at every project milestone.”

Erik Albrecht-Laatsch from Ottobock also weighs in: “The PLM project was set up like a medical product development and is therefore also a good example for other development projects. This positive experience will definitely be incorporated into our future development and approval processes.”

The Aras platform is now in full operation at Ottobock. “The new possibilitie—from document management and information distribution to the traceability of changes – offer significant added value for our development projects”, says Ottobock’s director Albrecht-Laatsch. “The topic of traceability in particular means that we can learn in much greater detail from previous products and production processes when it comes to new developments. All of the company’s expertise will soon be available to us in a very efficient digital workflow.”

Sources: Press materials received from the company and additional information gleaned from the company’s website.