Pair starts manufacturing firm

A pair of technology world entrepreneurs have started a medical device contract manufacturing company in Chicopee.

Humera Fasihuddin, who is leaving a post at the nonprofit Regional Technology Corp. this month, and military equipment refurbisher Bud Beaudry are partners in the firm, known as Edical May. The name is pig Latin for "medical."

The company plans to help "early-stage" medical device companies manufacture their first products, said Fasihuddin. Many such companies are launched by inventors or doctors but have limited manufacturing experience.

Edical May seeks to provide the ability to make sample and first-run products, as well as support new companies with business advice, Fasihuddin said.

The company will use manufacturing capability of companies in the region with which it has relationships. The staff includes part-time employees with experience in mechanical engineering and quality control.

"This is about being a partner with the companies," said Fasihuddin.

Edical May will screen potential customers closely and look at their business plans and finances to minimize the risk of working for start-ups.

"We're very carefully selecting who we work with early on," she said.

The company announced this week that its first customer is EProducts, a Virginia company that is bringing to market a straw designed for people with kidney problems. The DigiStraw measures the amount of liquid taken in by kidney dialysis patients and can sound an alarm when fluid intake levels rise or fall too much.

EProducts approached the Regional Technology Corp. for assistance in locating a manufacturer for its product, and the business group passed on the information to its members. Edical May won the contract to oversee the manufacture of the first 100 units of the product.

Fasihuddin, who has served as a top official with the Regional Technology Corp. for four years, said she wanted to start a business after working at a group that fosters the growth of high-tech companies. She will also do business consulting with a partner as a separate venture.

Beaudry is president of BTP Systems, a Chicopee-based company that refurbishes and repairs military hardware.