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Of the 321 companies exhibiting at the North American Spine Society (NASS) Annual Meeting next month, around 50 consider OEMs their primary source of revenue. It appears Suppliers are choosing to be not only where their customers are, but where their customers’ customers are. This notion may be evidence of stronger, more relevant communication up and down the supply chain.
If you’re an OEM looking for new partners, perhaps you should consider meeting with the companies who have made investments in time, money and personnel to be near you. Below we highlight Players (companies with enhanced listings in the ORTHOWORLD/BONEZONE Supplier Directory) who are exhibiting at NASS 2015.
3D Printing
3D Systems | Booth #1929
Headquarters: Rock Hill, South Carolina
Founded: 1986
- Core capabilities: 3D printing, personalized surgery, surgical simulation, virtual surgical planning, digital medical imaging and medical image processing
- 3D Systems recently launched two new training modules for its Simbionix ARTHRO Mentor™ arthroscopic training simulator: Hip Diagnostics and the Advanced Knee. Together, these 3D virtual reality training solutions support improved surgical preparedness and planning for complex orthopaedic procedures.
- In 2014, 3D Systems acquired Medical Modeling, a provider of medical imaging, surgical simulation and additive manufacturing, and LayerWise, a provider of advanced direct metal 3D printing and manufacturing services.
Device Testing
Knight Mechanical Testing | Booth #1196
Headquarters: Fort Wayne, Indiana
Founded: 2006
- Core capabilities: mechanical testing for orthopaedic devices, specifically fatigue, dynamic and static mechanical testing
- In September 2014, Knight Mechanical Testing entered into a Marketing and Commercial Collaboration Agreement with Lucideon, an international provider of materials development, testing and assurance, allowing both companies to offer a complete portfolio of testing and analysis services to the orthopaedic industry.
- Kevin Knight, company president, recently shared his perspective on device testing trends with BONEZONE.
Implants
Lowell, Inc. | Booth #1310
Headquarters: Minneapolis, Minnesota
Founded: 1964
- Core capabilities: machining and assembly for orthopaedic implants, including spine, trauma, CMF, extremities; CNC mill/turn, CNC multi-axis milling, CNC lathe turning, wire EDM, finishing, micro-drilling, threading and tapping, packaging, marking, grinding and lapping
- Lowell recently hired Udaya Joshi, MS, MBA, CSSBB, as the company’s Quality Assurance/CI Leader.
Norman Noble, Inc. | Booth #1876
Headquarters: Highland Heights, Ohio
Founded: 1946
- Core capabilities: orthopaedic and spinal implants and devices, through proprietary services such as electropolishing, CNC tumbling and titanium anodizing; also, micromachining of materials, such as PEEK and NiTinol, 7-axis contour milling machines, Swiss turning, wire EDM, laser welding and cutting, laser marking, passivation, prototyping, assembly and packaging
- Earlier this year, Norman Noble opened a process development center in Naples, Florida. The new facility, titled 5-Axis Micro Milling and Turning Process Development Center South, doubles the company’s capacity for manufacturing orthopaedic implant and device prototypes, with a primary focus on screw and plate manufacturing.
Implants and Instruments
Autocam Medical | Booth #1481
Headquarters: Kentwood, Michigan
Founded: 2008
- Core capabilities: instrument and implants for orthopaedic and spine applications via CNC milling, turning, mill/turn and cutter-grinding of all surgical-grade materials, from titanium to high-performance specialty alloys and plastics
- Autocam acquired Southeastern Technology in December 2014, creating a global medical device contract manufacturing supplier.
Metal Craft and Riverside Machine & Engineering | Booth #1315
Headquarters: Elk River, Minnesota
Founded: 1978
- Core capabilities: CNC milling, machining and grinding, laser etching and passivation, welding, wire EDM, turning/Swiss/gun drilling, assembly, prototype services, aluminum vacuum furnace brazing, PFMEA (Risk Management)
- In 2014, Metal Craft announced that it would double its current square footage from 120,000 to 250,000 and increase manufacturing capacity by 20 percent.
Orchid Orthopedic Solutions | Booth #1411
Headquarters: Holt, Michigan
Founded: 2005
- Core capabilities: implants and instruments via casting, forging, machining and plastic injection molding, cutting, complex instrument assemblies, implant coatings and surface treatments, packaging, customs, prototyping, quality and regulatory consulting
- In late 3Q15, Orchid acquired Alhenia, a Switzerland-based provider of coated implants to orthopaedic device manufacturers.
- In April 2015, Orchid opened a 28,400-square-foot facility in Pune, India to serve the Asian market and global customers seeking additional manufacturing options.
Phillips Precision Medicraft | Booth #1170
Headquarters: Elmwood Park, New Jersey
Founded: 1969
- Core capabilities: orthopaedic implants, instrumentation cases, trays and sterilization delivery systems
- PPM recently profiled a custom solution that it created to support a customer’s additive manufacturing initiatives.
Tecomet | Booth #1484
Headquarters: Wilmington, Massachusetts
Founded: 1964
- Core capabilities: implants and instruments, specializing in net shape forging, CNC machining, photochemical etching, surface texturing, vacuum brazing, laser and electron beam welding and rapid prototyping
- In 2014, Tecomet acquired Symmetry Medical’s OEM Solutions business, creating the largest orthopaedic contract manufacturer in the world, with 18 facilities in five countries on three continents. Earlier in 2014, Tecomet acquired 3D Medical Manufacturing, a contract manufacturer of medical device components, implants, instruments, cutting tools and mechanical/electro-mechanical assemblies.
- The company’s CEO, Bill Dow, spoke to BONEZONE earlier this year to discuss consolidation at the supplier level.
Tegra Medical | Booth #1056
Headquarters: Franklin, Massachusetts
Founded: 2007
- Core capabilities: reusable instruments, single use devices and implants for orthopaedics and spine through Swiss-style turning, gun drilling, CNC machining, needle pointing, insert and injection molding, grinding, EDM, stamping, electrochemical machining and electropolishing, laser cutting, welding, drilling and marking, citric passivation
- Tegra expanded its sales efforts in 2014 by partnering with a manufacturing representative firm to strengthen the company’s presence in the Midwest, Texas and Puerto Rico.
Triangle | Booth #1712
Headquarters: Upper Saddle River, New Jersey
Founded: 1955
- Core capabilities: engineering and manufacturing support for hip, knee, shoulder and spine implants, modular implants, spinal instruments, powered drill and shaver systems, non-powered instruments, navigation devices, customs, impactors, bone files and trials
- Triangle has a partnership with Passaic County Technical Institute in Wayne, New Jersey, which focuses on manufacturing technology and engineering programs. The company also collaborated with Bergen Community College to offer a scholarship for its Manufacturing Technology Program.
Instruments
Bradshaw Medical, Inc. | Booth #1751
Headquarters: Kenosha, Wisconsin
Founded: 2006
- Core capabilities: orthopaedic trauma and spinal instruments
- Bradshaw recently received U.S. Patent No. 8,985,593 B1 for a unique Self-Locking Internal Adapter for D-Shaped Orthopedic Adjustment Tools. This patent brings the company total to 33 that have been developed by Dr. Hua Gao, Vice President of Research & Development.
ECA Medical Instruments | Booth #729
Headquarters: Thousand Oaks, California
Founded: 1919
- Core capabilities: single-procedure/disposable torque surgical instruments and implant fixation kits for orthopaedic, spine, extremity and trauma applications
- ECA recently developed Secure-Fast™, reportedly the industry’s first single-procedure surgical ratchet for use in orthopaedic and spine procedures. The proprietary ratcheting system is designed to reduce surgical costs by more than $1,000 per surgery and to provide a ratcheting capability for securing screws, fasteners and connectors in spine, trauma and extremity implant procedures.
Gauthier Biomedical Inc. | Booth #1357
Headquarters: Grafton, Wisconsin
Founded: 2000
- Core capabilities: instruments for spine, trauma, hip, shoulder, knee, ankle and small bone surgical applications
- From the Archives: Gauthier discussed the increase in OEM requests to provide product design for instrumentation.
gSource, LLC | Booth #1576
Headquarters: Emerson, New Jersey
Founded: 1999
- Core capabilities: orthopaedic and spinal instruments
- gSource claims an inventory of over 3,500 instrument patterns available for same-day shipment.
- Earlier this year, the company donated surgical instruments to the Foundation of Orthopedics and Complex Spine in Ghana.
In’Tech Medical | Booth #1633
Headquarters: Rang-du-Fliers, France
Founded: 2000
- Core capabilities: contract manufacturing and design for spine and orthopaedic instruments
- In July 2015, In’Tech acquired contract manufacturer Turner Medical, yielding the world’s reportedly largest provider of spine surgical instruments.
- The company also recently launched The Prototype Garage, its production-equivalent prototype division, to support accelerated time-to-market for new systems developed by orthopaedic OEMs and assist them through regulatory submissions.
Pacific Instruments, Inc. | Booth #946
Headquarters: Honolulu, Hawaii
Founded: 2005
- Core capabilities: orthopaedic instruments, design support, customs
- From the Archives: Pacific Instruments’ legal counsel Stephanie J. Gruenert wrote on ways that OEMs and suppliers can work together in a changing environment.
PAK Manufacturing Inc. | Booth #1505
Headquarters: Irvington, New Jersey
Founded: 1995
- Core capabilities: custom handheld instruments, prototyping, CAD design, CNC milling, grinding and turning, EDM, heat treating, passivation and polishing
- PAK specializes in custom configurations built from raw forgings.
Materials
EPTAM Plastics | Booth #1608
Headquarters: Northfield, New Hampshire
Founded: 1981
- Core capabilities: plastic components machining, product design/prototyping, clean room packaging
- EPTAM announced a new business development strategy in January 2015 that included repositioning and adding positions, as well as offering business development support directly to customers.
Nordson Medical | Booth #1604
Headquarters: Saint Paul, Minnesota
Founded: 1954
- Core capabilities: biomaterial delivery systems setup for orthopaedic and spine applications
Surface Preparation/Treatments
Danco Anodizing | Booth #1585
Headquarters: Warsaw, Indiana
Founded: 1971
- Core capabilities: surface preparations, anodizing and identification techniques, treatments of machined parts, castings, extrusions and sheet metal products
- From the Archives: Danco offered perspective on ways that coatings can be a cost saver when evaluating device performance and life expectancy.
Surface Dynamics/Eurocoating | Booth #1711
Headquarters: Cincinnati, Ohio
Founded: 2009
- Core capabilities: plasma spray coatings, additive manufacturing of components using electron beam melting and direct metal laser sintering, packaging
- Surface Dynamics is represented on the board of the Greater Memphis Medical Device Council, an incorporated not-for-profit association formed in 2014 by 17 medical device manufacturers from Shelby County in Tennessee. The organization was created to strengthen the local medical device industry through efforts such as workforce training and education.
