Express Manufacturing, Inc. (EMI), a leader in Electronics Manufacturing Services, builds a line of products for OEMs to promote health. One such product is the DashTrak is a patented wearable device developed by WalkStyles, Inc., that helps users keep track of how many steps they walk in a day. Additionally, the DashTrak via USB connectivity, uploads the wearers activity data to an online account (www.walkstyles.com) enabling users to easily set activity and nutrition goals and then track their progress as they achieve and reward themselves for reaching their established targets.
The brainchild behind this concept is Susan Parks, the author of iCount, 10 Simple Steps to a Healthy Life, and an avid proponent of walking 10,000 steps every day. “Our program is designed to help people get and stay healthy. By setting goals that target continuous improvement, a person will see major health benefits from their increased activity. Not everyone is in a position to engage in vigorous sports, but most of us can stay active by walking,” according to the author.
Supporting this 10,000 step concept is Dr. Glenn Morinishi of Family Medicine Center in Anaheim, CA. A medical doctor by training, Dr. Morinishi started his patients, including those who were marginal diabetics, on walking 10,000 steps a day and they found marked improvement. Other patients who implemented the same program have experienced improvements in both weight control and blood pressure over a period of one year. Indeed, walking regularly is a good practice. The challenge is to develop the discipline to keep walking on a regular basis.
There are two types of health maintenance medical electronic products EMI currently builds for OEM’s. The first type is preventative such as the DashTrak which helps users stay healthy. The other type is a diagnostic tool that allows an in-home patient to be monitored by their health care provider. With this approach, users can stay home instead of in the hospital which helps to keep the overall medical costs lower. “Perhaps the best health reform is for everyone to stay healthy. EMI wants to build a lot of good medical electronic products to help users stay healthy and keep their overall health costs down,” echoes CP Chin, president of EMI.
In 2009, both EMI USA and EMI Asia successfully obtained the ISO 13485 certification (medical device). Both facilities standardize with the same Fuji machinery, making the transitioning of production from country to country seamless. As part of the growth plan, EMI added another Fuji model XPF to its production line. In addition to high speed placement of 01/005 components, the Fuji XPF is equipped with the innovative Dynamic Head Exchange system that allows the machine to chip shoot at a rated speed of 25 thousand components per hour and then exchange the placement tool to become a flexible system with capabilities to handle single nozzles, specialty nozzles, mechanical chucks and glue dispensing tools in less than one second. This capability allows EMI to maximize the productivity of each placement system while eliminating opportunities for error and increasing output and quality.