Mainebiz

V O L . X X I I N O. X X V I N OV E M B E R 1 4 , 2 0 1 6 16 "Enercon is an FDA-certifi ed manufacturer. It has all the audit controls in place. Plus they are a middle-tier manufacturer and aren't humongous, so they can produce the product at the volumes we need at a good cost and without a lot of over- head," Park says. PharmRight plans to have Enercon produce 2,000 Livi units in the fi rst year, then 6,000 to 7,000 in the second year. Its business plan calls for about 20,000 to be built in 2021. PharmRight pays Enercon for the cost of goods to make the device and ship it. It sells Livi as a $100 a month subscription product for two years, which includes the device, its AT&T data plan and PharmRight's service and maintenance. In the future, Park hopes to link more devices into the cellular network. "Livi is basically a cell-phone [product]," Park says. "Part of our plan is to grow into telehealth." at will include more point-of-care products that can give more immediate results back to clinicians and other caregivers. It's a trend Enercon's Marcotte also says he's seeing among other medical device makers. e SpyGlass DS Digital Controller, made by Enercon for Boston Scientifi c, and the accom- panying catheter, made by Boston Scientifi c, also address a large market. According to Boston Scientifi c, more than one million people worldwide undergo endoscopic procedures for conditions related to the liver, gall- bladder, pancreas and bile ducts. While Boston Scientifi c has sold an earlier version of the SpyGlass endoscope, the company says the new digital model gives doctors a big- ger swath of tissues to look at more clearly. Typically, such a fi eld of view had to be accomplished via surgery in the past, Marcotte says. Flying under the radar Enercon isn't the only high-tech Maine company that isn't a house- hold name yet has a big reach outside the state. Kepware Technologies, a maker of software that lets dispa- rate machines talk to each other, was one of Portland's best-kept secrets until it was bought for $100 million by PTC Inc. of Needham, Mass., last December. And Fiber Materials Inc. of Biddeford, a maker of very high-end composite materials, has been around since 1969 quietly selling its materials, including for NASA's Orion spacecraft, which later this decade aims to take humans into deep space, including to Mars, and return them safely. But to companies like PharmRight, it didn't necessarily matter whether the manufacturer was in Maine or Alaska. e quality of the work and ability to meet the manufacturing requirements were the key determinants. "We off er integration of product development and manufacturing under one roof," says Larry Bell, vice president of sales and marketing at Enercon, adding that most other out- side contractors do one or the other function. " is leads to better designs. We bring in manufacturing engineers early in the design process. at's a key diff erentiator and why customers come back." Such collaboration can bring the company and its customers closer. Boston Scientifi c executives recently came to Enercon and paid for a cook- out for the whole company, Bell says. With its planned expansion, Enercon likely will be more visible than in the past. It expects to hire an unspecifi ed number of employees to add to its current ranks of 140 in Gray and Auburn. Marcotte says Enercon fi nds its skilled workers in areas surround- ing Gray plus from out-of-state. It currently has 25 electrical, mechani- cal, software, manufacturing and test engineers. And it has started an intern program with University of Maine System students. " e challenge is to hire them," Marcotte says. "We get new energy in the building with the interns, and we are not far from the Boston area, espe- cially for someone with Maine roots." And the new facility, like the cur- rent one, is expected to have high- tech elements in it, including being LEED-certifi ed. Marcotte would not comment on investment in either site, but says the current Gray factory has millions of dollars pumped into its cutting-edge systems. "From what I understand and have seen in the plans, this facility will have state-of-the-art technology and sys- tems and will have the fi rst overhead walkway (skywalk) in Gray," says Kathy Tombarelli, Gray's town planner. "And the new building is being built so it can be expanded again in the future." She says the town's planning board approved the expansion on Aug. 11 of this year for 69,000-plus square feet toward the back of the current » C O N T I N U E D F RO M P R E V I O U S PA G E BANGOR, MAINE • 207.947.4501 • RUDMANWINCHELL.COM Just ask our clients, and they'll agree with Jim. For almost 100 years, Rudman Winchell has earned the trust and respect of businesses all across the state of Maine. Give us a call and find out what we can do for you. trust and respect of businesses all across the state of Maine. A TRUE STRATEGIC PARTNER FOR YOUR BUSINESS Jim Rogers, President, HealthConnect Networks: "Rudman Winchell's legal expertise and guidance has been instrumental in our success designing and implementing federally subsidized telehealth networks. With their help, we have saved over 1,000 hospitals and clinics more than $50 million."

• Cover