Industries / Medical Devices
Leyden GVC Strategic Intelligence · MD
GVC · Global Value Chains
Make the next mandate worth keeping.
Decide which medical-device functions to retain, expand or redesign in Costa Rica—by comparing currency exposure, AI productivity, workforce transition and viable alternative locations.
For operations, strategy and business-unit leaders
The executive question
Where should the next unit of engineering, validation or lifecycle work sit?
Retain
Expand
Redesign
Defer
One defined function. Comparable alternatives. A decision supported by evidence.
Manufacturing
Sustaining engineering
Validation
Supplier development
Lifecycle support
THREE QUESTIONS. ONE MANAGEMENT DECISION.
Connect costs, technology and talent.
01
Currency exposure and costs
How does a stronger colón change operating costs in dollars?
Separate local-currency costs from dollar costs, imported inputs, natural offsets and hedges. Test sensitivity alongside productivity and capacity utilization.
02
AI, employment and skills
Which tasks change—and what is the net value?
Measure tasks reduced, created or expanded, training needs and the net benefit after deployment and workforce-transition costs. For medical devices, include validation, quality, human oversight and patient-safety requirements.
03
Costa Rica and alternative locations
Where does each function have a credible advantage?
Compare equivalent functions, quality, skills, service and capacity. Include investment, transfer, qualification and ramp-up costs before recommending a location.
Company-level conclusions require reconciled operating data. Currency appreciation is one factor, not an assumed cause of job losses; AI adoption does not automatically imply workforce reduction.
International comparison
A regional baseline. A company-specific comparison.
Our sector benchmarking covers Costa Rica, Mexico, Brazil, Chile, Colombia, the Dominican Republic, the United States and Canada. These countries play different roles across each value chain.
For an engagement, select the locations the company actually uses or could credibly use. The broad country comparison informs the analysis; it does not replace a function-level business case.
when we can help
A specific decision.
A focused engagement.
01
A location decision is approaching
You need to compare the same product family and function across Costa Rica and realistic alternatives.
02
AI changes the business case
You want to understand productivity gains alongside validation, quality, cybersecurity and workforce costs.
03
Costa Rica and alternative locations
You are evaluating engineering, supplier, laboratory or decision-making capabilities that could support
higher-value work.
what management receives
From analysis to a usable decision.
A company-specific diagnostic, scoped around selected functions and credible comparator locations.
01
Executive decision memo
A recommendation by function, the assumptions that matter and the evidence still needed.
02
Location comparison
Costa Rica and credible alternatives evaluated on equivalent activities and requirements.
03
AI and workforce priorities
Use cases, implementation costs, skills and transition requirements considered together.
04
Action roadmap
A sequence of priorities, owners and decision points for the next twelve months.
A financially attractive option must also satisfy applicable quality, validation, safety and lifecycle requirements. These are conditions for the analysis, not benefits to assume.
Illustrative decision framework
Sustaining engineering for one product family
An example of the questions and outputs an engagement can structure. It is not a client case or a calculated result.
Dimension | Question to resolve | Expected output |
Scope | Which engineering tasks and decision rights are being considered? | A function definition agreed with the business unit. |
Comparability | Do candidate sites meet the same quality, service and validation requirements? | A comparable set of viable locations. |
AI and people | What gains remain after review, validation and skill-transition costs? | A use-case business case with explicit assumptions. |
Decision | Which capability gaps must close before work can move or expand? | A recommendation with conditions and next steps. |
This is economic and strategic decision support. Product-specific technical, quality and regulatory judgments remain with the company and its qualified specialists.
EVIDENCe & accountability
Know what supports the recommendation.
Each engagement separates public evidence, client-validated information and analytical assumptions. The decision memo makes the sources, uncertainties and conditions visible.
Country and industry research frames the opportunity. Sources and dates are checked for the specific question; general market evidence does not establish a company’s intent.
Costs, output, skills and operational requirements are reconciled with the relevant teams. Confidential inputs are requested only within an agreed scope and handling process.
Assumptions, sensitivities and evidence gaps remain explicit. Illustrative examples are not company estimates, validated forecasts or guarantees of performance.
engagement lead
Oswald Céspedes-Torres, Ph.D.
Founder & CEO · Leyden Consulting Group
An economist with a Ph.D. from The Ohio State University, with specialization in industrial organization, international trade and economic development. Leyden brings economic analysis and quantitative research to the investment and capability questions at the center of this service.
The scope identifies the technical input and company participation required for each decision.
a clear path to engagement
Start with the question that matters.
01
Executive briefing
A 30–45 minute conversation to define the decision, the relevant functions, the decision-maker and the evidence needed.
02
Company diagnostic
A scoped paid engagement. An indicative four to six weeks, subject to complexity, data availability, and agreement.
03
Strategic advisory
Further calibration, implementation planning or recurring analysis when the diagnostic supports the next step.
For the first conversation, share only the sector, the decision and your timeline. Confidential operating data are not needed to request a briefing.
Economic intelligence. Applied AI.
Better decisions.
© 2026 Leyden Consulting Group
Costa Rica · Latin America & the Caribbean
Since 1996