Hartford Business Journal

14 HARTFORDBUSINESS.COM | JULY 8, 2024 Karl Neuberger, CEO of Millstone Medical Outsourcing, in the laboratory of Millstone Medical Testing's new facility in Bloomfield. HBJ PHOTOS | BRIAN AMBROSE 'Speed is King' Millstone Medical invests $5M in new Bloomfield testing facility, amid supply chain-tightening trend rate from 2024 to 2030, according to Grand View Research. Driving that growth is the "complexity in product design, intensi- fying competition, increasing number of small-sized medical device manu- facturers, and strict approval norms" by regulatory bodies globally, Grand View Research said. All of Millstone's employees in Willington accepted relocation offers to Bloomfield, though a handful will continue working in the Willington facility, which will remain open at least until the company's lease expires, Neuberger explained. Millstone's testing division, called Millstone Medical Testing, has 21 employees based in Bloomfield and is actively recruiting for four or five more positions. Neuberger said Millstone Testing expects to add three to five new employees per year for the foreseeable future to keep pace with demand. "The industry itself is growing," he said. "But we're also growing outside of just the normal growth because we're extremely focused on customer service, shortening wait times, and offering very competitive pricing and testing." Near-shoring trend In this economic climate, Paul Lavoie, the state's chief manufac- turing officer, said it's becoming increasingly important for companies to be located near their customers, which improves lead times. Lavoie said Millstone's deci- sion to keep its testing division in By Andrew Larson alarson@hartfordbusiness.com K arl Neuberger, CEO of Mill- stone Medical Outsourcing, says his business philos- ophy is to focus on the variables he can control — customer service, shortening lead times and offering competitive pricing. Recently, the Fall River, Massa- chusetts-based company made the strategic decision to relocate its medical equipment testing facility from Willington, Conn., to a space that is four times larger in Bloomfield. Increasing its capacity to meet growing demand is the latest example of Millstone seeking to control its own destiny. "We're focused on what we can control," Neuberger said in an exclu- sive interview with the Hartford Business Journal. "And if we get that right, things genuinely work out well." Millstone Medical Outsourcing, which provides medical device packaging, logistics and testing to the healthcare industry, in June opened a new 25,000-square-foot testing facility at 35 Griffin Road South, in Bloomfield. Not only can the new facility process more samples, and with a quicker turnaround, it's an easy 15-minute drive from Bradley Inter- national Airport — a key factor in selecting the location, Neuberger said. Also, it's near the Interstate 91 corridor, which has a larger employee base than Willington, a small town tucked along Interstate 84, about 25 miles east of Hartford. Millstone Medical Outsourcing invested $5 million to add a state- of-the-art laboratory to the building, which previously housed optical fiber manufacturer Pioneer Optics. Growing market In addition to providing clean room medical equipment packaging and assembly services, the company offers sophisticated testing for medical device manufacturers and healthcare systems across the nation, including in Connecticut. The company established its testing division in December 2022, when it acquired Connecticut-based Ethide Laboratories and MycoSci- ence. Millstone's Willington facility is the former home of MycoScience. Medical device testing is a growing business. It's required to meet regulatory requirements for bringing new products to market and maintaining compliance throughout the product life cycle. The medical device testing services market was valued at $8.95 billion in 2023, and is projected to grow at a 9.44% compound annual growth AT A GLANCE Millstone Medical Outsourcing Industry: Medical Equipment Manufacturing Top Executive: Karl Neuberger, CEO HQ: Fall River, Mass. CT Office: 35 Griffin Road South, Bloomfield Website: millstonemedical.com Contact: 508-679-8384

• Cover