J. Michael Cude (1957 – 2024) has been a driving force in the medical plastics industry for over 40 years. Cude’s extensive interaction with customers produced numerous medical device innovations. He also led the startup and operation of nine medical plastics manufacturing plants in the US, Mexico, and Ireland.

In 1979, Mike joined Hospital Disposables. Here, Mike helped develop a family of plastic container products that replaced reusable stainless steel and glass in American operating rooms. These new products supported the growth of the surgical procedure pack market while reducing costs and improving patient safety. Designed to pack and stack efficiently, these unique products reduced the size of surgical kits, maximizing sterilization efficiency and reducing transportation and storage costs. These products still dominate the market today.

In 1983, Mike founded Atlantic Molds International, a toolmaking business in Portugal. Mike’s experience in manufacturing led him to focus on tooling design that minimized production costs, maximized machine uptime, and facilitated ease of tool maintenance. His integration of automation, turbulent cooling, and quick changeovers created highly productive tooling and low manufacturing costs. Mike also championed a “design for manufacturability” approach. Here, product design is optimized for manufacturing ease and production cost while meeting all performance requirements. Mike’s deep experience in plastics manufacturing drove his integrated approach to product, mold, automation, and even plant design.

From 1989 to 1999, Cude was integral in starting or expanding three medical device plants as VP of Engineering for DeRoyal Plastics Group. Mike improved and expanded a product line of plastic medical devices used to administer contrast media during diagnostic procedures in the Cardiac Cath Lab and Interventional Radiology. He also patented a guidewire bowl design that solved procedural issues in the imaging labs. All these products continue to have significant market share worldwide today.

In 1999, Mike joined Coeur, Inc. Here, he led the development of an entire product line of disposable plastic products for the Imaging Market. In addition to injection-molded products, Mike expanded his resume to include a wide array of extruded tubing products. When automation opportunities were exhausted, Mike led a medical device assembly plant startup in Mexico. Mike was responsible for new tooling concepts, processes, and automation, giving Coeur a competitive advantage.

In 2012, Coeur was sold to ITW, and Cude became the Global Director of Innovation and Engineering, responsible for the operations and engineering of six plants in three countries.

Michael Cude left ITW to form Cude Advising in 2019. Mike could translate a customer need into a tangible product design and then develop the tooling, automation, and manufacturing processes needed to produce the product consistently at a low cost while meeting high quality and regulatory requirements. Cude holds nineteen patents.