Case Study 03 · Blood Collection

Automated Vacuum Tube Assembly & Fill-Finish Line

A blood collection device OEM needed to replace aging semi-automated equipment with a next-generation vacuum tube assembly, additive dosing, and crimp-seal line capable of 600 tubes per minute.

$5.8M

Program Value

14 mo

Sales Cycle

Buying Influences

Won

Outcome

Background

The Opportunity

A large blood collection device manufacturer operating three North American facilities was consolidating production to a single high-throughput site. The capital project required replacing three aging semi-automatic lines — operating at 180 tubes per minute each — with a single integrated line achieving 600 TPM with validated additive dosing (EDTA, sodium citrate, gel separator), vacuum fill, rubber stopper insertion, and aluminum crimp-seal in a single pass.

The integrator was selected as program manager and lead integrator after a competitive RFP process, responsible for end-to-end project delivery including mechanical design, controls, validation, and site installation.

Confirmed board-approved capital budget of $6.5M; project sponsor was VP Manufacturing
Validated additive dosing precision requirement: ±1.5% across all blood collection additives
Confirmed consolidation decision was final — three-to-one line reduction was committed
Identified internal champion: Senior Director of Manufacturing Technology
Verified ISO 13485:2016 quality system requirement and 21 CFR Part 820 compliance
Confirmed incumbent equipment supplier relationship was contentious — opportunity to displace

Stakeholder Map

Buying Influences

Role	Name / Title	Influence	Mode	Key Concern
Economic Buyer	VP Manufacturing	Project sponsor, board-level budget holder	Growth	Consolidation savings and timeline risk
Technical Buyer	Sr. Dir. Manufacturing Technology	Line spec author, vendor evaluation lead	Support	Dosing accuracy, OEE target ≥92%
Technical Buyer	Director of Quality Systems	ISO 13485 / 21 CFR 820 compliance	Overconfident	Full traceability, statistical process control
Technical Buyer	Process Engineering Manager	Vacuum fill and crimp seal specs	Even Keel	Changeover time between tube formats
User Buyer	Plant Manager (consolidation site)	Site impact, installation logistics	Overconfident	Production downtime during installation
User Buyer	Maintenance Manager	Spare parts, serviceability	Even Keel	MTTR, local service availability
Coach	Sr. Dir. Manufacturing Technology	Internal advocate, project timeline owner	Support	Wants project associated with his legacy
Coach	Procurement Director	Contract terms and vendor qualification	Growth	Payment terms and penalty clauses

Sales Process

Engagement Flow

Win Strategy

Win Checklist

#TypeAction ItemOwnerDue DateDone

1 Internal Alignment Assign dosing and fill-finish SME with blood collection additive experience to concept team Jake Malone Month 3 YES

2 Customer Engagement Conduct 3-site production audit with VP Manufacturing and Sr. Dir. Manufacturing Technology Collin Phelps Month 3 YES

3 Technical Alignment Conduct EDTA and sodium citrate dosing accuracy trials — target ±1.5% across 5 tube formats Chris Columbus Month 6 YES

4 Commercial Alignment Identify and qualify local service partner to address Plant Manager's MTTR and downtime concerns Anna Watts Month 7 YES

5 Customer Engagement Arrange reference visit to comparable blood collection fill line to address Director of Quality concerns Collin Phelps Month 8 YES

6 Technical Alignment Deliver statistical process control (SPC) integration spec for Director of Quality approval Chris Columbus Month 9 YES

7 Commercial Alignment Structure phased installation plan to minimize plant downtime during consolidation cutover Anna Watts Month 10 YES

8 Internal Alignment Legal review and red-line of penalty clause language in contract draft; define force majeure scope Jake Malone Month 13 YES

Why We Won

Key Win Factors

🧪

Dosing Accuracy Data

Lab-validated ±0.9% dosing accuracy across all five tube formats — outperforming the ±1.5% spec — neutralized the only technical differentiator a competitor had.

🏭

Phased Installation Plan

A detailed cutover plan that maintained parallel production during installation addressed the Plant Manager's greatest concern and separated us from every competitor.

📈

Displaced Incumbent

Documenting the incumbent's prior project delays with factual data from the customer's own records gave the champion the internal ammunition needed to justify switching vendors.

🛠️

Local Service Partner

Pre-qualifying a local certified service partner before proposal submission — and including their SLA in the bid — directly closed the Maintenance Manager's gap.