Real Impact From Real Solutions

Below are examples of how CREST has partnered with businesses to solve technical challenges, optimize designs & processes, and drive measurable improvements.

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Driving $500,000 Annual Savings Through Heart Valve Design Optimization

Client:
Edwards Lifesciences – Large global medical corporation specializing in heart valve therapies

Problem:
The next generation of the PASCAL Heart Valve implant was costly to produce and still required next-gen features to be designed, developed, & delivered… all within an accelerated timeline.

Services Provided:

  • Solution Brainstorming
  • Design Optimization

Results:

  • Streamlined implant design, driving $400/implant savings, totaling approximately $500,000/yr
    • Combined two cloth components into one, eliminating a joining stitch-line operation
    • Redesigned two component ends to join via a snap-fit, eliminating suture preparation, needle prep, and the associated time-consuming sewing & knot-tying steps
    • Reduced total stitch count during implant assembly by over 50%, from more than 300 stitches to fewer than 150, without compromising implant integrity
  • Created a Design-for-Manufacturing (DFM) Scorecard to guide future design decisions. Scorecard metrics included:
    • Number of Parts
    • Material Cost
    • Production Yield
    • Labor Time
    • Training Time
    • Unique Metric – Number of stitches
  • Instilled a lasting DFM culture within the engineering team

Saved $500,000/yr

Reduced # of Parts

Reduced Assembly Time

Instilled DFM Culture

Enhancing End-User Experience in Cardiac Catheter Systems

Client:
Adagio Medical – Small start-up developing cardiac cryoablation catheter systems

Problem:
The catheter design was difficult for physicians to use and created potential safety risks during navigation within the heart

Services Provided:

  • Design Optimization for Product & Services

Results:

  • Redesigned the shaped wire geometry to enable smoother, more precise catheter positioning within the heart, improving access to ablation sites
  • Improved the shaped wire manufacturing process for greater consistency and reliability, ensuring the catheter shape matched the intended design for optimal navigation
  • Re-engineered the stiff catheter connection hose to significantly improve flexibility and operator control, directly addressing physician feedback about “fighting the catheter” and greatly improving overall catheter maneuverability
  • Enhanced patient safety by including additional audio feedback:
    • Added a tone to confirm safe depressurization and re-pressurization of the catheter
    • Added audible beeps to signal when the catheter returned to a safe repositioning temperature, helping prevent patient harm

Improved Ease of Use

Addressed Physician Feedback

Enhanced Patient Safety

Redesigning Catheter to Resolve Low-Flow Issues & Restore Cryoablation Performance

Client:
Adagio Medical – Small start-up developing cardiac cryoablation catheter systems

Problem:
Low cryogenic flow in cryoablation catheters was preventing proper cardiac tissue freezing, leading to ineffective heart ablation procedures.

Services Provided:

  • Technical Root Cause Analysis
  • Solution Development & Implementation

Results:

  • Conducted in-depth testing guided by root cause analysis tools to identify & eliminate the true causes of low flow:
    • Root Cause: Inadequate catheter kink resistance
      Solution: Updated catheter design & manufacturing process to assemble internal tubes in a tight spiral, creating a kink-resistant coil structure
    • Root Cause: Poorly designed internal tube structure with sharp U-turns that kinked during assembly
      Solution: Redesigned internal tube paths to allow larger, smoother U-turns, eliminating tube kinds without increasing catheter size, and vastly increasing flow cross-sectional area
    • Root Cause: Shaped wires manufactured with overly tight bends that induced catheter kinks
      Solution: Improved wire manufacturing & inspection processes to eliminate low-flow-inducing tight bends
  • Delivered the following value-added improvements:
    • More than doubled catheter flow from 30 SLPM to 80 SLPM (standard liters per minute)
    • Saved over $180,000/yr in scrapped low-flow catheters
    • Restored catheter performance critical for effective cryoablation procedures

Doubled Catheter Flow

Saved $180,000/yr

Restored Catheter Performance

Simplifying Catheter Design to Save $300,000 Annually

Client:
Adagio Medical – Small start-up developing cardiac cryoablation catheter systems

Problem:
Manufacturing costs too high and assembly processes too inefficient, requiring improvements without compromising catheter quality

Services Provided:

  • Design Optimization for Product & Services

Results:

  • Identified costly component that had become unnecessary after several design iterations, but still used four times per device.
  • Eliminated costly component, leading to an estimated $300,000 in annual savings
  • Reduced overall assembly time by simplifying the build process through component removal.
  • Maintained high product quality standards, ensuring no loss in catheter performance despite cost and complexity reductions

Saved $300,000/yr

Reduced # of Parts

Reduced Assembly Time

Maintained Catheter Quality

Protecting Product Quality: Solving Metal Discoloration and Saving $90,000 Annually

Client:
Inari Medical – Mid-size growing medical device company specializing in venous therapies

Problem:
Yellow discoloration appeared during metal heat treatment, creating quality concerns and significant production scrap

Services Provided:

  • Process Optimization for Products & Services
  • Technical Root Cause Analysis

Results:

  • Confirmed through functional testing that discoloration did not affect product performance, enabling short-term acceptance of parts
  • Traced root cause to an argon gas leak in one of four heat treatment ovens
  • Redesigned custom oven-to-argon line interface to eliminate leaks and oxidation issues
  • Eliminated major recurring production scrap, driving $90,000+ annual savings by preserving hundreds of critical assemblies

Saved $90,000/yr

Redesigned Custom Interface

Eliminated Argon Leak

Eliminated Production Scrap

Driving Smart Decisions Through Real-Time Defect Tracking

Client:
Stryker – A large medical technology company

Problem:
No effective system existed to track defects and their associated costs across the manufacturing plant at one of Stryker’s subsidiaries, Inari Medical

Services Provided:

  • Data Tracking Development & Deployment
  • Statistical Data Analysis

Results:

  • Developed automated defect and cost pareto charts to enable real-time performance tracking across production
  • Empowered engineering teams to prioritize high-impact projects based on data-driven insights
  • Improved visibility into manufacturing inefficiencies, allowing for smarter resource allocation and more targeted corrective actions

Developed Defect & Cost Pareto

Prioritized Engineering Projects

Allocated Resources Smartly

★★★★★

CREST has transformed our operations with their innovative solutions. Their expertise in engineering consulting has streamlined our processes, leading to significant cost savings and improved efficiency. I highly recommend their services to any business looking to enhance their performance and tackle complex challenges effectively.

Abigail Walker

Engineering Solutions Inc.