Localisation is a commercial-model question, not only a manufacturing question

Localisation in MedTech is often evaluated primarily through manufacturing cost, supply-chain resilience or import substitution.

But its commercial implications can be much broader.

Local presence can influence:

• tender eligibility and economics;

• lead times and product availability;

• service responsiveness;

• channel confidence;

• institutional account access;

• pricing flexibility;

• and the range of customer segments a company can serve profitably.

That means the strategic question is not simply:

“Should we manufacture locally?”

A more useful question is:

“Which parts of the commercial model become possible — or materially more attractive — if we localise?”

For some businesses, the answer may be better tender competitiveness. For others, it may be faster service, stronger distributor economics, access to different price points or greater credibility with large institutional customers.

My take: Localisation should be assessed as a commercial-model decision as much as a manufacturing decision. The value lies not only in what it costs to produce locally, but in what local presence allows the business to do differently.