Modern biopharma is advancing at an extraordinary pace. In parallel, the tools enabling the next generation of therapies, from the equipment running in process development labs to manufacturing floors and research institutions, have become increasingly expensive, complex, and difficult for smaller organizations to access. Companies are challenged with the innovation doom loop, forced to choose between innovation (performance) and cost. Since performance is non-negotiable, tool makers have all the pricing leverage.
Innovation should not be limited by the cost of the tools required to create it. So how can the industry accelerate scientific innovation while lowering unnecessary costs throughout the research and manufacturing lifecycle? And how can we make the tools enabling upcoming breakthroughs affordable?
“Manufacturing constrained design (MCD),” by considering both cost and manufacturability issues from the outset, represents an effective approach to baking in cost-effectiveness during new product development.
The Cost-Vs.-Performance Conundrum
Companies throughout history have been forced to consider the cost-vs.-performance tradeoff. The cost of the resources (materials, skilled labor, time) to produce, use, and maintain a product (and therefore its price/affordability) must be weighed against the level of speed, scalability, and quality (precision, accuracy, sensitivity, purity, etc.) desired. Typically, the higher the performance, the greater the cost and ultimately the price.
In many industries, it is possible to realize a balance that includes some compromise on both sides of the equation. In biopharmaceutical development and manufacturing, those compromises generally are not acceptable. The need to ensure the safety, quality, and efficacy of drug products requires use of the highest-performing tools and equipment.
Why Constrained Design?
Initial tool and equipment designs have a tremendous impact on not only the performance of a product, but also on whether it is easy and cost-effective or difficult and expensive to manufacture. Conventional product design focuses solely on the ultimate goals for the product when in use. Production is considered once the optimum design has been established. Importantly, a large percentage of the manufacturing costs for a product are set during the initial design phase (up to 80%)1, because many design aspects have a direct impact on manufacturability.
Also known as Design for Manufacturability (DFM), MCD helps control these costs by considering manufacturability aspects during the initial design phase through simplification, use of standardized components, and creating products that can be manufactured without the need for specialized equipment.1-5 Reducing the number of parts and complexity of machining required lowers labor and tooling costs. Material waste can be reduced and quality increased. “In essence, design for manufacturability is about aligning your product’s design with the capabilities and limitations of manufacturing processes, equipment, and materials.”2
Successful implementation of MCD requires collaboration between design/engineering and manufacturing teams from the start of a product development project. By working together, they ensure designs provide the desired performance attributes and can be produced using robust, reproducible, and cost-effective manufacturing processes.
By leading to the development of easily produced products, DFM and MCD also reduce the costs associated with design failure due to manufacturability issues during later development stages. Similarly, development timelines are often reduced because there is no need for multiple redesigns due to production issues. In addition, late-stage design changes that carry the risk of negatively impacting the integrity of the original design are avoided.
Constrained Design for Bioprocessing Tools
In bioprocessing, tools and equipment can require significant capital investments that contribute directly to the cost of goods sold, which impacts profitability for drug makers and leads to higher costs per dose for patients. In addition, outlays on inefficient, expensive systems with unaddressed constraints do not just lead to inflated costs; contamination risks and supply chain bottlenecks can also result. Using an MCD framework ensures that material limitations, exact cleanroom footprint requirements, and other performance attributes, as well as cost ceilings, are mapped into the design from the outset. This approach supports the development of highly reliable, intuitive, and accessible equipment without the premium pricing typically found in life science tools.
It is possible to overcome traditional tool challenges with functional, scalable solutions that are easy to place and service by applying the principles of manufacturability from the start. The best results are obtained when a broad range of engineering, product development, and manufacturing resources can be leveraged to achieve efficient progression from concept through commercial production. With this type of combined approach to life science tool and equipment development, suppliers can accelerate product development while reducing operational complexity and product costs and addressing customer expectations.
More Than Meeting Biopharma Tool and Equipment Needs
Drug makers today are constrained by increasingly complex and costly biopharma tools, instruments, and equipment, where overengineered systems are often used to justify rising prices. This dynamic is creating growing demand for functional, scalable, and cost-efficient solutions that prioritize usability, footprint, and long-term performance.
With a manufacturing constrained design approach, it is possible to make advanced technologies more economical and user friendly. Indeed, a growing number of technology developers are challenging the long-held assumption that high-performance bioprocessing equipment must come with equally high capital costs. By rethinking product design, manufacturing efficiency, and usability, companies such as Ensorcell are demonstrating that exceptional performance and economic accessibility can coexist.
Portable and small-footprint biopharma tools and equipment with intuitive interfaces and simplified maintenance requirements are the way forward. Tools designed with cost-containment in mind and built to support evolving workflows and flexible manufacturing strategies enable efficient biopharmaceutical process development and manufacturing to help promising discoveries move more effectively toward commercialization.
Jeff Goldman is the General Manager at Ensorcell, responsible for delivering new life sciences tools that work better and cost less.
References
- “Design for manufacturability saves time and money,” Mectalent News, February 29, 2024. https://www.mectalent.com/news/design-for-manufacturability-saves-time-and-money
- “Design for Manufacturability: What It Means and Why It Matters,” Pegmatis Blog, https://www.pegmatis.com/knowledge-base/design-for-manufacturability-what-it-means-and-why-it-matters
- Modus Engineering Team, “Design for Manufacturability Principles Every Engineer Should Know,” July 17, 2025. https://www.modusadvanced.com/resources/blog/design-for-manufacturability-principles-every-engineer-should-know
- “Design for Manufacturability: Seven Core Principles for Product Development,” https://www.seasongroup.com/insights/design-for-manufacturability-seven-core-principles-for-product-development/
- “Design for Manufacturing (DFM): Principles, Guidelines, and Cost Reduction Strategies,” JLCCNC Blog, Jun 16, 2026, https://jlccnc.com/blog/design-for-manufacturability
