CRDM Creative Communications Managed Staffing Solution
Case Study: Medtronic™
Corporation
Medtronic, Inc.
Founded
1949
Headquarters
Fridley, MN
Employees
41,000+
Leadership Team
Omar Ishrak
Chairman & CEO
Describing the Company
Medtronic is a leader in medical technology, offering products, therapies and services to enhance or extend the lives of people worldwide.
Defining the Problem
The Cardiac Rhythm Disease Management (CRDM) creative department is responsible for creating and producing all cardiac product sales materials used to help educate physicians. Materials include items such as brochures, spec sheets, tip cards, CD-ROMs and demos.
The CRDM department employs four full-time employees, but in 1994, Medtronic realized it needed a much larger team to meet workload demands. The complexity of cardiac products also called for the expertise of a highly skilled group of additional professionals.
Finding the Solution
Creatis found the way to help Medtronic save time and money without hiring additional full-time staff. On a typical day, between 8 and 12 Creatis employees are at work in Medtronic’s CRDM department. They include electronic publishers, graphic designers, proofreader/editors and a project coordinator. Urgent staffing needs are common, often with one-day or same-day notice.
With the wide-range help of Creatis employees, Medtronic meets ambitious project deadlines, including the execution of three major product launches a year. Each launch consists of 25–30 tactics or pieces, translated into as many as 11 languages.
Creatis maintains a thorough understanding of Medtronic’s culture and skill requirements by asking the right questions and staying on top of changes in the organization. As new projects begin and additional talent is needed, finding the perfect fit can be met with consistency and confidence.
Measuring the Results
- A highly competitive level of creativity and expertise because of a constant flow of fresh, creative individuals to assist.
- An efficient, dependable structure within the CRDM department. The department is now a profit center, comparable to a small ad agency inside the corporation.
- The on-site presence of a Creatis creative coordinator to manage the Creatis staff gives the head of the CRDM department time and energy to focus on other priorities.
- More than any other creative department within Medtronic, the CRDM department is awarded high profile, creatively challenging projects because of its reputation for high-quality, creative work.
“Others are knocking on my door, yes. But I have a great relationship with Creatis and somehow they attract the good people. They’ve been in this business a long time and they know what they’re doing. They’re very adaptable. I pick up the phone, I speak to someone immediately and they understand what I want.”
Lori Gorshe
Manager CRDM Creative Communications