The manufacture of medical devices requires a high level of quality control to produce a viable product for the precision instrument market. It is no surprise, then, that the top cities in each global region for this sector are established capitals offering high levels of specialist skills.

Movers and shakers

Shanghai led Asia’s ranking for the manufacture of medical devices, and New York topped the America’s leading 10 cities. Perhaps more surprising is Istanbul’s lead position as EMEA’s top location; combining a reputation for European quality with the cost competitiveness of the East, Turkey may be one to watch in this highly skilled area.

As for R&D in the life sciences sector, Shanghai tops the quality index. Although China has long been seen as a lower-cost option for R&D activity than most European locations, Lodz in Poland ranks the most cost-effective city location.

The rankings are produced by fDi Benchmark, an online subscription database which benchmarks cost and quality competitiveness.

The fDi competitiveness indices for medical device manufacturing are based on the evaluation of more than 100 factors.