Happy Halloween! Here is the latest news from the medical products community.
Leadership News
The Health Industry Distributors Association has presented its most prestigious honor, “The Industry Award of Distinction” to Steve Meyer, President and Chief Executive Officer of Welch Allyn, Skaneateles Falls, NY, a global provider of medical diagnostic solutions. The award recognizes significant contributions and leadership of an exceptional individual from the medical products industry.
American Kuhne, Inc., Ashaway, RI, has appointed Bernadette Marti to the position of Regional Sales Manager for its upper Midwest and Canadian markets. The company is a worldwide supplier of standard and customized single screw extruders, feed screws, extrusion systems, and specialized turnkey systems for medical applications.
Pleasanton, CA-based Thoratec Corporation has named Taylor C. Harris as vice president and chief financial officer. Thoratec’s product portfolio focuses on mechanical circulatory support for patients with advanced heart failure.
ADLINK Technology, Inc., San Jose, CA, a global source for embedded building blocks and application-ready platforms, has named Matthias Huber as VP of Marketing. He brings over 17 years of experience in embedded computing, with a particular focus on computer-on-module technology and customer-focused solutions.
Joshua H. Levine was appointed the new CEO of Sunnyvale, CA-based Accuray Inc., which develops, manufactures and sells technology designed to deliver radiosurgery and various forms of radiation therapy.
Global medical device maker Orthofix, Lewisville, TX, has promoted Brian McCollum to President of its Spine Global Business Unit. He will continue to serve as the company's Chief Financial Officer through November 10, 2012.
Plastic tubing manufacturer NewAge Industries, Southampton, PA, announced the appointment of Robert Volk as Director of Manufacturing, where he will be responsible for process development and improvement, new product manufacturing, and overseeing the company’s thermoset and thermoplastic manufacturing teams. Stephen Kuhns was named as National Sales Manager, responsible for increasing industrial sales of the company’s core tubing lines.
Cadence, Inc., Staunton, VA, a contract manufacturing company focused on medical technologies for minimally invasive devices, appointed Alan Connor as its new CEO. Connor has been serving as president since April 2011, and will succeed Peter Harris in April 2013 following a six-month transition period. Harris will continue as board chairman.
Vesta, providing silicone and thermoplastic contract manufacturing services for the medical industry, announced that Kaushal Pathak, Quality Systems Manager for Silicone Business Operations, has earned the designation of ASQ-Certified Manager of Quality/Organizational Excellence (ASQ CMQ/OE).
Dwalin DeBoer, business unit director in Orthopaedics & Disposable Medical Devices at Mack Molding, Arlington, VT, has been selected by a panel of judges at Vermont Business Magazine to join its cadre of Vermont Rising Stars. The list is comprised of 40 winners under the age of 40 and was selected from more than 120 nominations.
Expansions/Moves
NxStage Medical, Inc., a leading manufacturer of innovative dialysis products, opened a new headquarters in Lawrence, MA, replacing its old 58,000 sf facility with a new 137,000 square foot facility to accommodate the company's future growth.
Allied Vision Technologies (AVT), Stadtroda, Germany, opened a new sales office in Shanghai, China. This is AVT’s second location in the Asia-Pacific region. The company designs, produces, and sells cameras and components for image processing in industrial and life science applications.
ZOLL Medical Corporation, Chelmsford, MA, a manufacturer of medical devices and related software solutions and a wholly owned US subsidiary of Asahi Kasei, has established Asahi Kasei ZOLL Medical Corporation as its Japanese subsidiary effective November 5 to expand and develop ZOLL’s critical care business in Japan.
Mergers/Acquisitions/Collaborations
Stryker Corporation, Kalamazoo, MI, one of the world's leading medical technology companies, announced a definitive agreement to acquire privately-held Surpass Medical, Ltd., Tel Aviv, Israel, with manufacturing and R&D in Miramar, FL. Surpass is developing and commercializing next-generation flow diversion stent technology to treat brain aneurysms.
CR Bard, Inc., Murray Hill, NJ, has reached an agreement to purchase Neomend, Inc., Irvine, CA, a medical product manufacturer of medical gels to seal air leaks in the lungs after surgery. Bard is a leading multinational developer, manufacturer, and marketer of innovative, life-enhancing medical technologies in the fields of vascular, urology, oncology, and surgical specialty products.
Infraredx, Inc., Burlington, MA, medical device company committed to advancing the diagnosis and management of coronary artery and other vascular diseases, and Royal Philips Electronics, The Netherlands, have signed a joint development and collaboration agreement that is focused on integrating Infraredx’s true vessel characterization imaging system with Philips’ catheterization lab imaging systems.
Molex Inc., Lisle, IL, a leading supplier of electronic and electrical components, has acquired Affinity Medical Technologies LLC, Costa Mesa, CA, a manufacturer of customized medical interconnect products, cable assemblies, connectors , and electronic interfaces for medical device manufacturers. Affinity will now operate as a subsidiary of Molex.
Medtronic, Inc., Minneapolis, MN, the world’s largest medical device company, has acquired a 19% equity interest in LifeTech Scientific, a Shenzhen, China-based maker of cardiovascular devices. The strategic alliance will allow each company to serve cardiovascular patients and to develop a more robust cardiovascular platform.
Helix Medical, LLC, Carpinteria, CA, a global manufacturer for the medical device and healthcare industries, has acquired MedVenture Technology Corp., a medical device design, development, and manu facturing company headquartered in Jeffersonville, IN.
A new alliance between Cleveland Clinic Innovation Center, a spin-off from the Cleveland Clinic in Ohio, and i360medical Ltd., a spin-off from the Royal College of Surgeons in Ireland, could help commercialize and grow US and Irish medtech start-ups. The alliance will make i360medical the European wing of Cleveland Clinic Innovations and help Cleveland Clinic’s spinoffs launch products in Europe as well as provide access to Irish start-ups.
Microfabrica, Inc., Van Nuys, CA, an advanced technology company, announced an exclusive sales and marketing partnership with Johnson Matthey Medical Components, West Chester, PA, a leading manufacturer of medical device components comprised of platinum group metals and other specialty materials.
Steris Corporation, Mentor, OH, announced the purchase of two privately-owned businesses: Spectrum Surgical Instruments Corp., Stow, OH, and Total Repair Express, Hillsborough, NJ, leading providers of surgical instrument repair services and instrument care products to hospitals and surgery centers in the United States.
Miscellaneous
In an unusual marketing move, Penn United Technologies, Inc., Cabot, PA, which grew from a small tool and die company to serving clients worldwide with a wide variety of manufacturing solutions, brought its Bionic Wrench to consumers directly through the QVC home shopping channel. Within the medical sector, it delivers high precision services, most notably for surgical devices, instruments, and precision tooling for custom manufacturing processes.
