This very little wire secures the replacement lens in the eye of a cataract patient. The wire is only 0.2 millimetres wide, must be sterile, have the exact curve and free of any burrs.

At first it was manufactured in the United States in a very time-consuming method. To be exact, NGF was requested to quote for the (very expensive) tools as used. ‘May we try to find a better solution’, NGF asked, ‘for why would one pay so much money if a better solution can be found?’

Two weeks later NGF was commissioned to develop the method it had presented.

The result? The tool costs have been reduced by 50% and production costs have been reduced by 90%. 15000 units are now produced each week, a volume which before was considered to be impossible.