Crimson’s DTP-Free Labeling Solution Specifically Designed for Manufacturers of Stretchers & Beds, Radiological, Imaging, and Other Capital-type Devices
| "The results we've achieved were so remarkable in terms of productivity, efficiency, and cost savings that several other divisions within our company realized that they could benefit as well." |
| – GE Healthcare |
BOSTON & SAN FRANCISCO, April 5, 2011 – Crimson Life Sciences, a division of TransPerfect, today announced the introduction of its DTP-Free Labeling Solution for medical device manufacturers. Crimson’s DTP-Free Solution is an integrated collection of advanced software components (including Astoria Content Management and GlobalLink Translation Management), tied together by a modular, risk-based strategy that encompasses guided authoring, DITA-based XML publishing, Notified Body-endorsed translation risk management, simplified translation review, and output to web or print—including label creation with seamless ties to engineering software systems, ERP, and accounting systems. By merely implementing portions of Crimson’s DTP-Free Labeling approach, companies such as GE Healthcare have reduced translation expense by over 50% and turnarounds by 75%.
An Industry-Wide Issue: Costs Double, but Labeling Still #1 Cause of Recalls
Crimson Life Sciences, the first medical device supplier certified to ISO 13485 and ISO 14971, is the only translation company exclusively devoted to the medical device industry. Crimson has served the labeling and translation needs of medical device manufacturers for nearly 20 years and today their clients represent a broad cross-section of the industry. Surprisingly, these very different companies all face the same problem: ballooning content volumes (driven by labeling, translation, and marketing requirements), combined with fragmented content management strategies, have lead to skyrocketing labeling costs and risks. In fact, most device manufacturers’ labeling processes are twice as expensive as necessary—and still represent the number one cause of costly recalls.
Manufacturers Search for Labeling’s “Holy Grail”
Crimson’s President and Founder, Marc H. Miller, explains: “Twenty years ago, medical device manufacturers were smaller and less global than today. Many served a handful of international markets and everyone had much smaller labeling and marketing documentation requirements. In this environment, simple file-management systems (such as Documentum or WindChill) provided an adequate solution because neither the volume of content nor the delivery requirements were as complex as today. Authors simply worked in unstructured Quark, FrameMaker, InDesign, and Word files because the downstream implications, including translation and printing costs, were nominal.”
Today, research indicates that the situation has changed dramatically and now stands at a critical juncture: Traditional, unstructured authoring is twice as expensive and takes twice as long as comparable structured authoring approaches. Device manufacturers have taken notice and several have now chartered internal initiatives to investigate and implement XML publishing systems.
According to Miller, “The rapidly increasing number of authors, products, and languages have driven device manufacturers to search for labeling’s “holy grail”: a system that reduces content volume, translation expense, risk, and turnaround, eliminates costly desktop publishing, and positions the company for e-Labeling and electronic content delivery. So far, manufacturers have been unsuccessful in their search because they have been hoping for a single technology solution. In reality, however, the solution is a number of commercially-available modules that encompass all phases of the labeling lifecycle, from authoring to output.” Crimson’s DTP-Free Labelingties together a number of proven components into a seamless whole that delivers the industry’s much-sought-after labeling solution.
Translation Management + XML Publishing = Significant Savings
Crimson’s solution is unique because it offers manufacturers multiple points of entry based on their unique challenges and requirements. For instance, if translation is a vital concern, the GlobalLink suite of translation management software provides a simple method for online translation review and translation memory sharing among multiple vendors. Since control of source content is a primary concern for manufacturers like GE Healthcare, proven technology for implementing an advanced DITA-based solution is a starting point for others. With its built-in XML/DITA publishing capabilities, the Astoria system alone can reduce translation budgets and turnarounds by 50%.
Says Miller, “We are at a unique moment in the search for a comprehensive solution to the content management problem that has been growing in the medical device industry over the past decade. Key processes and technologies are now sufficiently evolved so that they can be integrated into a solution like DTP-Free Labeling.”
About Crimson Life Sciences
Crimson is a division of TransPerfect and is the world’s only translation practice devoted exclusively to the medical device industry. Crimson is the world’s first translation firm registered to ISO 13485, ISO 14971, and ISO 9001 and has been serving the needs of medical device manufacturers for nearly 20 years. TransPerfect, registered to ISO 9001 and EN 15038, is the world’s largest privately held language services provider with offices in more than 60 cities worldwide. www.crimsonlanguage.com
About Astoria Content Management Software
Astoria Software is a division of TransPerfect Translations and drives efficiencies in dynamic product documentation with on-demand delivery of structured content management. Northrop Grumman, ITT, and other Forbes Global 2000 companies rely on Astoria to meet rigorous market demands - increasing product volumes, accelerating time-to-market, and concurrent global customization. Astoria On-Demand reduces documentation costs up to 90% and compresses product launch cycles from months to weeks. Astoria Software is based in San Francisco, California. For more information, visit www.astoriasoftware.com.
About GlobalLink®
Translations.com's GlobalLink® Localization Suite is a modular group of technology applications designed to streamline every facet of the localization process. Each product can function independently or as part of an integrated, end-to-end solution that is designed to drive efficiency across the enterprise for documentation, software, and web content requirements. First developed in 1999, the GlobalLink® Localization Suite provides a stable and intuitive platform that is built on next-generation technology. Translations.com's GlobalLink® technology currently manages the enterprise translation needs of over 750 leading companies around the globe.