Plumbing innovations from MMRI and OS&B will reduce hospital-acquired infections

Nearly every industry is experiencing technological disruption. In manufacturing, developing new tooling and processes to meet shifting demands allows our partners to stay ahead of the disruption curve, and we’re proud to help them do it. Since 1999, the McMaster Manufacturing Research Institute (MMRI) has been a strategic partner to industry, applying our world-class expertise and cutting-edge facilities to solving manufacturers’ challenges — honing processes to maximize productivity and quality while reducing cost and facilitating product innovation.

Oakville Stamping &Bending (OS&B) is a leading Manufacturer and Distributor of Plumbing Products. OS&B is Canada’s largest manufacturer and Distributor of Waste & Overflows, Traps, Lavatory Drains, Tubular Brass Fittings and various other plumbing parts.

In Canada each year, more than 220,000 hospital-acquired infections (HAIs) result in 8,000 deaths, and according to some estimates, the direct cost of each HAI is approximately $25,000 per patient.

Ontario hospitals were looking for anti-microbial solutions to prevent the spread of bacteria from room to room through plumbing fixtures. The partner required support in “design for manufacturability” of a new “p-trap” design made from an exotic anti-microbial material.

The MMRI performed an iterative design exercise and created a final prototype for collaborative testing with OS&B. A year-long research testing program is currently being done within seven GTA hospitals on this product.

MMRI’s functionality improvements have led to positive projections for the future. “I would be disappointed if this device wasn’t five percent of our sales within the year of launching,” predicts McLeod, adding that since all parts are fabricated in Ontario, it spells good news for the machining and casting subcontractors in the region.

All parts are fabricated in Ontario, which means this design is bringing more work to Canadian machining and casting subcontractors. MMRI’s functionality improvements have meant positive projections for the economic future of OS&B.

As it turns out, their research team ended up helping me develop an even more efficient detaching method from my original design. I don’t know what I would have done without McMaster.

– Chris McLeod (R&D product designer for OS&B).