Medical Device Manufacturer

Looking for a case study with answers to practice for your next interview? This McKinsey case is a great place to start! 

Case Prompt

Your client is a medical device company. Recently they acquired a company that produces heart stents. The CEO feels that the previous management had not maximized the market potential for these heart stents.

• There are three distribution options
  • Use our current proprietary sales force
  • Create a distinct sales force for heart stents
  • Have medical distributors distribute our product
• Our current sales force is comprised primarily of pharmaceutical style sales-reps with little or no medical training
• Other heart stent manufacturers use distributors
• If we were to build a new, distinct sales force it would be comprised of surgeons who would do a heart surgery alongside a cardiologist and show them how to use the heart stents
• It is not a problem to hire qualified sales reps for a new sales force

He has asked you to determine what the potential market size is as well as determine the best method to distribute the product.

Case Overview

In this case study with answers, your client is a medical device company that needs guidance about how to best break into a new market they have just recently entered. You are being asked to dive deep into the market to understand the size of the market and how they can best distribute the product to get maximum profitability. It’s your job to provide concrete solutions and strategies.

Are you prepping for a first round McKinsey interview? We recommend the Market Study Framework as a good starting place to solving this case, but take it a step further and build your own custom framework to address the specific issue. The candidates who get the job are the ones who show the ability to take the basic framework and make it their own by adding their creativity and business experience.

This case study with answers has one math question. The qualitative difficulty is 2 out of 4, which makes this an intermediate case interview you would see in a McKinsey first round.

McKinsey Interview Tips

What does McKinsey look for in its case interview candidates? Excellent problem-solving and crystal-clear communication skills.

As you work through this case, focus on the following:

• Come away with 1 key takeaway or area you can improve
• Time yourself throughout the case -(2min for structure, 5min for math, 2min for brainstorming, 2min for conclusion)

For quality case practice with a pro, book an hour with an ex-MBB interview coach. Want another case study with answers to practice on? Head back to the Case Library for 500+ practice case studies.