The Voice of Industry: Reflections on ABHI’s History from its Life President
Unity is strength. An adage used the world over, and one I tend to call upon when asked what the biggest advantage of joining a trade association is.
It was the need for industry to coordinate a single, coherent voice some 32 years ago, that led to the inception of ABHI, and as I reflect on how it has matured and grown over the years, I am so proud to see that voice is louder and more impactful than ever before.
In 1988 there were at least half a dozen trade associations, all relatively small, and all vying for government time. As such, we were effectively told by government to get our act together and provide a single front door for engagement with the medical device industry. There were two main bodies; the British Healthcare Trades and Industry Council, who looked after the UK market, and the British Healthcare Exports Council, which I led, focussing primarily on exports. Through an amalgamation of the two, ABHI was born. That way, we looked after the whole UK market and the interests of those doing business overseas.
The real burning platform though was the development of European and British Standards, and the increasing need to demonstrate compliance. The advent in 1993 of the Medical Devices Directive built on this, formalising the requirements for manufacturers. At the time, ABHI played a full and active role in its development, and the Association’s credentials in the regulatory space remain a defining strength. I have always been an advocate for strict enforcement of regulation and ensuring that companies abide by it. Not only does it strengthen our reputation, but it delivers opportunities to be able to provide high-quality products.
Fast forwarding another six years, and I remember late one evening receiving a phone call from the late Frank Dobson, who was Health Secretary at the time. He informed me that the following morning NICE was to be announced, and would industry support it? My response was of course…providing it didn’t damage the industry and we could still get great technologies to patients. The reason I recall this discussion, however, is because just over a decade earlier, the Health Secretary, and government more broadly, would not have made that call. It talked to the reputation that we had cultivated over the years, and that ABHI was now indeed the go-to body for industry.
Throughout this period, I was working at Smiths Industries (now the Smiths Group). Upon retirement from the company, I was offered the chance to buy one of their businesses, Eschmann, whose own history far eclipses that of ABHI, having been founded in 1830. I am still Chairman of Eschmann, and although COVID-19 has meant I haven’t been able to set foot in the premises of late, I am on the phone to my two sons daily who do the heavy lifting when it comes to running the business.
For a company like Eschmann, whose primary area is dental, COVID-19 has of course impacted us. The government’s furlough scheme was therefore a welcome intervention, and with dentists re-opening, we should see things getting back to normality soon. If there is one thing that this crisis has reinforced, however, is just how important medical devices are.
When I first started in the industry, I was selling syringes and needles. It seems remarkable now, but medical science was using re-sharpened products at the time. Change was needed, and in came single-use disposable, sterile instruments. When I think of the biggest step forward in my career, it has been making sure that things are used properly, and that they are safe. I do believe that COVID-19 will enforce this further, with the ABHI membership well placed to take advantage of that.
From its modest beginnings, I am extremely proud of the way in which ABHI has grown over the years. Initially, it was just manufacturers involved, then we brought in distributors, as well as legal firms, life science organisations and regulatory affairs professionals, all of whom make up the ecosystem that is our industry, which is a great thing. Unity is strength, and provided we stick together, there are opportunities for all. Small companies do a tremendous service to our industry and have the ability within ABHI to work with larger businesses, learning from them, opening-up further markets for growth. I firmly believe there is a great opportunity for the whole of the industry in being a part of ABHI.
There have been some terrific individuals involved with ABHI over the years, too many to name in fact. My contribution is but a small one, and I remain deeply humbled by the Life President tag. I am so pleased, that 32 years on, ABHI is not only prospering, but it can truly say that it is the voice of industry.
George Kennedy CBE, ABHI Life President