Trade fairs are markets - and markets offer a great chance to talk to people. For decades, the Medica medical trade fair has been one of the biggest events of its kind in the calendar of the medical technology manufacturer Meiko - and one of the key reasons is the opportunity it offers to talk to business partners. To coincide with MEDICA 2014, Meiko has decided to go one step further than just channelling ideas from these customer discussions into further enhancing its German-made cleaning and disinfection appliances: "We've also defined what makes Meiko technology so special," says Markus Braun, senior manager and global sales director at the medical technology manufacturer.
This has created a clear opportunity for Meiko to reposition its range of machines for care utensil reprocessing to make it easier for customers to make comparisons, as Markus Braun explains: "Our cleaning and disinfection machines have been offering top-notch performance for over 87 years. Sophisticated engineering excellence and a cutting-edge range of services have given many people the impression that care utensil reprocessing by means of mechanical cleaning and thermal steam disinfection has already reached its pinnacle. We've previously taken the approach of optimizing our products quietly in the background and then communicating that to our customers in our regular updates." Braun argues that Meiko has developed standards that have made the company a beacon in the industry, in part thanks to the unique selling points of its products. "Our Meiko ChemCode suction lance coding system eliminates the risk of mixing up rinse agent and detergent, thereby solving a problem that often leads to user errors and uncertainty in the hospital infection control environment," says Braun. None of Meiko's competitors offer this technology, which is designed to rule out human error when operating the machine. "We want the people who work with our machines to be able to meet their goals through their own actions to the greatest extent possible. Our system transforms people and machines into a highly efficient unit which does exactly what you would hope for, namely making the operators' work easier and improving safety in the care environment."
Another feature known as "Steam Stop" ensures optimum levels of occupational safety by preventing any steam escaping from the machine. The safety of patients and staff has always been the number one priority for Meiko's development engineers. It forms the basis of many other innovative features, including 'PowerClean', an intelligent telescopic rotary jet designed for efficient mechanical cleaning, 'ThermoControl', a temperature monitoring system with electronic sensors that work independently of each other, and 'Dry&Cool', a system that ensures germ-free drying and cooling of the care utensils with filtered air. "We're very much aware of our responsibilities," says Braun, emphasizing once again the highly infectious nature of patient excreta: "The Ebola outbreak is showing us for the first time just how deadly and lethal patient excreta can be."
And at Meiko the safety of the people who operate its cleaning and disinfection appliances is also paramount. Meiko's Total Auto Disinfection (T.A.D.) system automatically disinfects the water tank, pipework and nozzles in the bedpan washer-disinfector, thereby protecting the appliance from microbial contamination. At the same time, a sensor-based dosing control system actively protects the machine against limescale build-up.
Meiko's continuous technological innovations are backed up by a reliable and virtually omnipresent service network. In Germany alone, more than 250 authorized service engineers are available on 24-hour call. "We did some calculations for one major hospital operator and worked out that none of their facilities are located more than 50 kilometres from a service engineer," says Braun. That's the kind of service that is inextricably tied to the excellence of Meiko technology.
This has created a clear opportunity for Meiko to reposition its range of machines for care utensil reprocessing to make it easier for customers to make comparisons, as Markus Braun explains: "Our cleaning and disinfection machines have been offering top-notch performance for over 87 years. Sophisticated engineering excellence and a cutting-edge range of services have given many people the impression that care utensil reprocessing by means of mechanical cleaning and thermal steam disinfection has already reached its pinnacle. We've previously taken the approach of optimizing our products quietly in the background and then communicating that to our customers in our regular updates." Braun argues that Meiko has developed standards that have made the company a beacon in the industry, in part thanks to the unique selling points of its products. "Our Meiko ChemCode suction lance coding system eliminates the risk of mixing up rinse agent and detergent, thereby solving a problem that often leads to user errors and uncertainty in the hospital infection control environment," says Braun. None of Meiko's competitors offer this technology, which is designed to rule out human error when operating the machine. "We want the people who work with our machines to be able to meet their goals through their own actions to the greatest extent possible. Our system transforms people and machines into a highly efficient unit which does exactly what you would hope for, namely making the operators' work easier and improving safety in the care environment."
Another feature known as "Steam Stop" ensures optimum levels of occupational safety by preventing any steam escaping from the machine. The safety of patients and staff has always been the number one priority for Meiko's development engineers. It forms the basis of many other innovative features, including 'PowerClean', an intelligent telescopic rotary jet designed for efficient mechanical cleaning, 'ThermoControl', a temperature monitoring system with electronic sensors that work independently of each other, and 'Dry&Cool', a system that ensures germ-free drying and cooling of the care utensils with filtered air. "We're very much aware of our responsibilities," says Braun, emphasizing once again the highly infectious nature of patient excreta: "The Ebola outbreak is showing us for the first time just how deadly and lethal patient excreta can be."
And at Meiko the safety of the people who operate its cleaning and disinfection appliances is also paramount. Meiko's Total Auto Disinfection (T.A.D.) system automatically disinfects the water tank, pipework and nozzles in the bedpan washer-disinfector, thereby protecting the appliance from microbial contamination. At the same time, a sensor-based dosing control system actively protects the machine against limescale build-up.
Meiko's continuous technological innovations are backed up by a reliable and virtually omnipresent service network. In Germany alone, more than 250 authorized service engineers are available on 24-hour call. "We did some calculations for one major hospital operator and worked out that none of their facilities are located more than 50 kilometres from a service engineer," says Braun. That's the kind of service that is inextricably tied to the excellence of Meiko technology.
