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John O’Dea Chartered Engineer, FIEI and Vice President Engineers Ireland tells The Engineers Journal how he made the move from engineer to entrepreneur, the job potential he sees for civil engineers in the biomedical device sector and the importance of breaking down barriers between engineering disciplines

John O’Dea has a consistent track record of initiating innovative businesses from a ventilator R&D facility for Puritan Bennett to novel imaging technology for esophagus and stomach surgery with his own company Crospon. More recently he took the chairman’s role with Janisys, which is developing a novel form of drug delivery technology. Does he see himself primarily as an engineer or an entrepreneur?

“I would see myself as an engineer first and foremost and, as such, I enjoy solving problems, identifying unmet needs and meeting them. In that sense, in many ways, I could be seen as an accidental entrepreneur, discovering business opportunities as a by-product of my engineering work.

“I have been fortunate enough to work for world-class multinational companies in the biomedical device industry and was involved in product launches with those companies. That experience helped me develop a deeper understanding of the complex, strictly regulated framework within which the multinational medical device industry operates which has been crucial in growing each of my companies.”

Exporting to the US
Inevitably, Crospon can’t avoid being affected by the difficult global economic environment: “Our major market is the US health system, which is, of course, hugely challenging at the moment. The medical device sector accounts for six per cent of the cost of healthcare in the US, nonetheless, the process of doing business there continues to be demanding with an evolving framework of codes and regulations and the lengthening of the capital acquisition cycle.”

While President Obama’s healthcare deal made news all over the world, it has mixed implications for an Irish medical device company exporting into the US: “It can only be good to the extent that it broadens access to healthcare. However, the sales tax it brings will increase the price of products. This combination will make for a market that will be both tighter and broader.”

Creating jobs for engineers
Fundamentally, John remains confident about the long-term prospects for Crospon and is recruiting when necessary. “Senior mechanical engineers are hard to find and there are certainly opportunities there for suitable qualified people.”

John feels strongly that it is important not to be too rigid in thinking about engineering disciplines and to be open to the potential to adapt. “Conversion courses offer very real opportunities to engineers who would like to move into the biomedical device industry. Civil engineers, I believe, have skills that are transferable. They use a lot of the same tools as biomedical engineers – good CAD skills for instance. Standards are critical aspect ot both disciplines.

As far as the work goes, much of it involves established processes and structured approaches, you are not exclusively designing de novo. The barriers that are perceived to be there are largely artificial.” Crospon is a Galway-based company and a prime beneficiary of the industry/academia partnership that drives the biomedical device cluster in the city.

“NUIG is a critical part of the infrastructure and there has been a marked step up in part-time masters degrees in recent years. As an idea factory, hospitals have a vital role, but universities are essential in supplying graduates that can drive the sector. NUIG’s research centre, REMEDI is just one example of the future of the industry. One of the key future trends is in bio-active devices, uniting the functionality of device implants with the bioactivity and specificity of therapeutic bio agents. “ Ultimately, the biomedical device sector is one which John finds very fulfilling: “It is a sector where, once in, you are very slow to get out of it. It offers a unique opportunity to affect many, many people’s lives in a positive way.”