MED-EL - July 2020

MED-EL Elektromedizinische Geräte Ges.m.b.H.

Digital transformation for quality of life

IN ASSOCIATION WITH

DIGITAL REPORT 2020

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MED-EL: digital transformation for quality of life WRITTEN BY

WILLIAM SMITH PRODUCED BY

BEN MALTBY

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MED-EL

Martin Hairer, Chief Digital Officer of medical technology (medtech) firm MED-EL, on the company’s use of technology to improve customer outcomes

M

edtech company MED-EL is a leader in the field of implantable hearing systems, as the company’s Chief Digital Officer Martin

Hairer explains: “Our core competency is to develop hearing implant solutions. That’s where our expertise is – developing implants, surgical tools, stimulat04

ing nerves and adapting sound in a way that the brain can interpret it as close to the experience of natural hearing as possible.” Of course, underlying and enabling that central competency is a raft of different business functions, but Hairer is clear that the business as a whole is inspired by this mission.

“We are very research driven – that’s how the whole company works. We are pioneers. We are challenged by nature, by the human body, and what we all have in common here is the question: ‘What can we do as a company that leads to better outcomes for our customers?’. This is always the number one priority. It’s not profit. Of course, we need to make money, but it’s much more important the customer has the best outcome, which itself leads to increased profits.”

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“ We are very research-driven – that’s how the whole company works. We are pioneers” — Martin Hairer, Chief Digital Officer, MED-EL 06

As Chief Digital Officer (CDO), his role at the business involves overseeing the company’s internal technological progress. “I am the senior technology executive here at MED-EL, responsible for creating and implementing plans, ensuring they align and driving them. We support our critical line of business, develop customer-centric solutions and streamline business operations through the use of technology and continuous improvement processes to fulfil our customer’s needs.” Hairer’s approach involves finding new solutions, for the benefit of all stakeholders. “I try to motivate people to innovate, to think outside the box and find better solutions, not only from a technology perspective but also one that fits the needs of the customer.”

AudioLink Hands-On: Listening to Music | MED-EL CLICK TO WATCH

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0:59

07 As CDO, Hairer has overseen the implementation and utilisation of several technologies. Cloud is one

to concentrate more on our core competencies and processes.”

As a global company, operational

such area, with the organisation rely-

excellence is crucial, an area where

ing on a selection of cloud providers.

automation technology has proved a

“We are a worldwide company, so

boon to MED-EL. “Robotic process

connectivity’s always a huge topic

automation is heavily used here. New

for us, not only internally but in terms

processes are automated every day,

of connecting to our customers. With

allowing us to avoid mistakes from

the cloud, we now have the option

human errors, and so on. Of course,

to scale much faster, while also

automation is also crucial in the direction

increasing IT security tremendously,

of manufacturing – answering the ques-

all while handling this across different

tion of how we can develop and produce

continents. For us, it was the helping

more of our implants with the same

hand giving us the possibility

setup of human resources, for example. w w w.me d el. com

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MED-EL

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MED-EL is exploring a number of

feedback immediately. In the past,

new directions to empower its cus-

that’s something you could only get

tomers. One is a mobile application

specifically with professionals offering

known as ReDi App. “Artificial intel-

speech therapy. Now, we can further

ligence (AI) is now heavily used by us

support our customers to be able to do

to help and self-enable our customers.

this in addition to the speech therapy

One example is the ReDi App, a prod-

at home or on the train and so on.”

uct we’ve launched already in several

Another innovation has seen the

countries. It helps the user to train

launch of a platform known as MED-EL

language skills, meaning we analyse

& more, the capabilities of which

speech and give advice on how you

Hairer explains: “We’ve been working

can improve your language develop-

for a couple of years to onboard part-

ment, and you can get real-time, live

ners and develop service into

a platform that would be helpful for our

audio processor, or training to hear

customers. MED-EL & more is the first

phone calls in a noisy environment,

club model we have for our custom-

for instance.”

ers, fully equipped and facilitated by

Various partners have been sup-

our myMED-EL portal. It is fascinating

porting MED-EL on its ongoing digital

how fast-growing the demand is to

journey. “We use the big players like

not only get exclusive offers in terms

Amazon Web Services, of course, as

of discounts, but get services that fit

well as Microsoft Azure. We use a lot

perfectly for someone in a specialist

of SaaS solutions. For example, we

situation, like a person who lives with

use Auth0 as our central authentica-

a cochlear implant and has additional

tion mechanism for our customers.

needs like support to maintaining the

We have a huge set of partners we’re 11

E X E C U T I V E P R OF IL E :

Martin Hairer Title: Chief Digital Officer

Company: MED-EL

Industry: Medical Device

Location: Austria

I’m an incurable optimist who believes in a bright future and our ability to enable everyone through technology. I like to solve problems. Throughout my career, I have been driven by my intellectual curiosity to find answers to the most pressing questions. Whether it’s finding a use-case for new technologies or finding a unique technique for a special use-case, I’ve been able to quickly uncover a customer’s pain point and identify a strategic solution.

With my refined skill set, I bring customer-centric mindfulness that enables me to innovate and thrive. My intellectual curiosity also drives me to be a lifelong learner. w w w.me d el. com

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“ There is so much more potential to improve the quality of life for our customers” — Martin Hairer, Chief Digital Officer, MED-EL

working with – there is not one set

It’s horrible to do this on your own.

of products from one company you

You need an army of cybersecurity

can buy to become fully digital.”

specialists who keep only one tool

One crucial partnership is with

up and running safely, and that’s

secure collaboration provider Box,

exactly where Box came in. It provides

as Hairer explains. “As you can imag-

us a really nice way to collaborate

ine for us with our business partners

across the company and partners.”

and clinics, data and information,

Aside from internal evolution,

exchange and collaboration is a very

MED-EL is also witnessing a change

important topic. Everything we can

in the expectations of customers,

improve in that regard has a tremen-

which it endeavours to address. “It’s

dous impact on cost savings and

fascinating to see the patient culture

quality and outcomes for the users.

change. As far as I can recall, it was

Before our cloud transformation

always that inventors and professionals

here at MED-EL, we tried to maintain

pushed something into the med-tech

everything with data exchange tools.

industry, and patients received it.

Now, patients are more seen as

DID YO U KN OW ?

• 2,200 employees from around 75 nations with 30 locations worldwide • Enable people in 124 countries to enjoy the gift of hearing • Its systems have restored hearing to more than 200,000 individuals worldwide.

customers and can influence future products and solutions. That’s a shift you can see in a lot of other industries, of course, with customercentricity and building products based on customer feedback. “With digital-savvy customers expecting a certain level of offering, Hairer and his team are rising to meet the demand. “Customers are now saying: ‘I know that this is a great device or solution, but why does it need to be more complicated w w w.me d el. com

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MED-EL

AudioKey Hands-On: Creating an Account | MED-EL CLICK TO WATCH

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1:27

“ AI is now heavily used by us to help and self-enable our customers” — Martin Hairer, Chief Digital Officer, MED-EL

than ordering something on Amazon?’.

It’s challenging us to find better ways to make things more customisable and to engage with our customers much more deeply.”

Like all companies around the globe, MED-EL is finding it has to adapt to a changing world, but Hairer is cautious of predictions of a so-called ‘new normal’. “We often hear this from politicians and governments all around the world, but I don’t know what the ‘new normal’ is. It implies that there is an old normal. Of course, we have a roadmap, but this is not a new road we’re going

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MED-EL

1990

Year founded

200,000+

Systems used to restore individuals hearing

2,200 16

Number of employees

down.” Accordingly, Hairer sees the

we need to deal with a lot of different

chief outcome of the pandemic for

government regulations and laws

MED-EL as being an acceleration of

around the globe. Every country is

existing programs. “It’s reprioritised

dealing with the pandemic in their

our thinking. The stage we thought

own way, making their own rules,

we’d be at in a year is already here.

and that means we need to make

And I’m really glad to see that this

sure that we fulfil all these require-

is the pace we change things, and

ments, with social distancing being

move forwards.”

number one. “It’s like Charles Darwin

That ability to react with agility

said. It’s the most adaptable species

comes despite the company’s scale.

on this planet that survives. And this

“We operate in 124 countries, with

is something that fits perfectly with

our offices in 30 countries, meaning

MED-EL.”

“ It’s fascinating to see the patient culture change” — Martin Hairer, Chief Digital Officer, MED-EL 17

As for the future, Hairer believes

implants and non-implantable devices

MED-EL is well equipped to thrive

and accessories, but also real digital

despite the challenges presented

services. We have seen that there

thanks to new avenues of exploration.

is so much more potential to improve

“We are a technology company, an

the quality of life for our customers

engineering, research-driven firm and

and this will play a huge part for the

it means we adapt to new challenges

company in the next couple of years.”

quickly. For that reason, I believe that this current situation is a catalyst, not only for the whole healthcare industry, but for us as a company to put digital technologies much more into our product portfolio. That’s not only w w w.me d el. com

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