For the Record with Paul Chaffin, President, Phillips Medisize

1. What is Phillips Medisize?

Phillips Medisize, a Molex company, is global contract development and manufacturing organization (CDMO) based in Hudson, Wisconsin, with more than 6,000 employees in 29 R&D and manufacturing sites around the world.

We collaborate with industry leaders and innovators to design and manufacture drug delivery systems, medical devices and diagnostic tools that help save and improve the quality of life for millions of patients annually. We also work with non-medical customers leveraging capabilities that have been developed over 60 years since the companies founding as a plastic injection molder in Phillips, Wisconsin.

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2. Can you share some things your organization has done that you are most proud of?

I’m most proud of our people and the care they take every day to serve our customers, always striving for the highest level of quality and innovation and keeping top of mind the patients who ultimately benefit from our work. Thanks to the dedication of our teams, we are able to build trusted relationships with our customers resulting in helping people around the world live heathier, more productive lives.

As an example, we make an impact for people with diabetes by providing patients with continuous glucose monitors (CGM), insulin pumps and drug delivery devices for GLP-1s and insulin. In 2023, Phillips Medisize worked with leading customers to create 116M CGMs and pen injectors to deliver 1.3Bn+ doses of lifesaving therapies like GLP-1s and insulin. It’s hard but very rewarding work.

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3. What was your professional journey that led you to Phillips Medisize?

Before joining Phillips Medisize in 2020, I had the privilege of leading Ecolab’s Global Healthcare business for many years. During this period, I also had the opportunity to serve on the Board of Directors for Medical Alley, so I’ve had hands-on experience with the influential power and value of this great organization.

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4. What motivates you as a leader?

I’ve reached the point in my professional career where the only things that matter are helping our employees achieve their full potential and working on innovative products that help people when they need it most.

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5. What advice would you give to aspiring (healthcare) leaders who are looking to make an impact in this industry?

My advice is threefold:

1. Spend time learning about the entire healthcare ecosystem including suppliers, regulators, providers and payers. Understanding all of the market forces and how they work together, or don’t, is critical.
2. Always put the patient first and understand how your work impacts the individual and those around the patient, such as caregivers and healthcare professionals.
3. Never be satisfied with the status quo. Obsolete yourself or someone else will do it for you.

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6. How do you see the healthcare industry changing in the next 5-10 years, and what is your organization doing to stay ahead of those changes?

This is a great question and a complex one with different answers depending on where you operate in the world and what part of the ecosystem you participate in. For our business, and our customers, we see the following macro trends:

1. Continued cost pressure as aging populations and an increasing prevalence of chronic diseases put pressure on both public and private payers. As a result, suppliers will need to consistently find ways to operate more efficiently while maintaining the same level of consistency and quality.
   
2. Increased geo-political conflicts – both armed and trade wars – will necessitate building redundancy in supply chains including basic raw materials. The trick will be doing this while not increasing overall costs. (See point #1.)
   
3. Step change in innovation driven by technological advances, such as miniaturization, computing power, artificial intelligence (AI), etc. These innovations may lead to faster drug development and approval, novel combination devices, remote monitoring, in-home diagnostic tests and much, much more. The trick will be assembling cross-functional teams with a wide variety of skills and experiences that may be very different from what was required in the past.

I know one thing for sure, the future, especially the next few years, won’t be boring!

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7. How does your company prioritize diversity, equity, and inclusion, both in terms of your workforce and the services you offer?

We believe in helping all employees have opportunities that fit their unique gifts and abilities to contribute to society and improve their own lives—and we reward their individual contributions based on the value they create. Our culture is built on the principles of human progress through a philosophy we call Principle Based Management™, which enables individuals and organizations to succeed long term by creating superior value for others. It involves fostering an open, contribution-motivated environment to encourage our teams to discover, develop and utilize their abilities to succeed by helping others improve their lives.

This philosophy extends to the way we show up externally and in all we do to serve our customers and their business. Within our organization for our employees, with our customers, and in our communities, we celebrate the diverse and distinct teams of people who offer unique talents across a variety of disciplines. We are uplifted by our colleagues’ contribution mindset, multifaceted skills, strengths, their resilience and can-do spirit.

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8. What do you see as the biggest opportunity and challenge facing the healthcare industry?

Harnessing the power and mitigating the risk that comes with artificial intelligence (AI) is the obvious and predictable answer, but I’ll offer a different one and that is TALENT. Everything discussed above assumes we have enough of the right people, with the right skills across the entire ecosystem.

For example, will we have enough nurses and doctors to deal with a rapidly aging population and the challenges that come with it? Will we have enough people who chose to be part of the critical regulatory agencies, and will they have the skills necessary to evaluate and approve, in a timely fashion, new complex combination devices and innovative drugs and delivery vehicles? And will the largest medtech and pharma companies and their suppliers be able to attract, develop and retain the talent they will need, including new and emerging disciplines? Obviously, if you are reading this, you’ve likely already made the noble choice to be part the healthcare continuum. I hope the next generation makes the same choice.

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9. What are your hobbies or things you enjoy doing when not at work?

My family and friends are everything to me so I’m up for just about anything if it allows me to spend quality time with them, including traveling, golfing, attending shows, etc. I think one of the benefits of working in healthcare is that you are frequently reminded how short life is and that every day is truly gift.

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10. What is your favorite thing about the Medical Alley community?

Medical Alley is such a rich resource and cultivator for the healthcare community in our region. It’s unique in that it brings together the individuals and companies who are leaders in their respective fields to focus on making healthcare better for everyone.

The mission of Medical Alley is also deeply personal for me as my wife has worked for Medtronic for 25 years, my son started with Boston Scientific earlier this year, and my daughter is pursuing a degree in chemical engineering with the intention of continuing on to medical school. In this industry, we’re all passionate about our role in improving and saving lives. Medical Alley offers an opportunity to connect and contribute on another level, creating an environment to spark and nurture new ideas, the voices to improve healthcare access, the advocacy to address major challenges in our industry, and so much more.  I encourage everyone to full leverage all of the resources Medical Alley has to offer you and your organization.