Orthopedic Trends With a European Perspective  

Implants 2008 will address manufacturing and business issues that cross borders.

Christopher Delporte     

On June 5-6, orthopedic industry professionals from around the globe will gather for the fourth annual Implants conference and exhibition, which the show’s planners have billed as providing international outsourcing and manufacturing solutions for orthopedics and biomaterials.
   
The setting for Implants 2008, as in years past, is ancient and historic Lyon, France—the country’s third-largest city after Paris and Marseilles, and its second-largest economic center. Lyon may date back to Roman times, but attendees and exhibitors will hear from a host of speakers about decidedly modern technology in an equally contemporary setting—the Lyon Convention Center, a sweeping glass structure that stretches along the banks of the Rhone river.
   
According to Premier Cercle, the organization that planned the conference, 400 people—including attendees, speakers and exhibitors—are expected to participate. Show planners said the success of the event is based, in large part, on its international scope. In addition to creating an international network of manufacturers and suppliers, their goal is to establish a forum to discuss the latest trends, innovations, new products and services, and to develop business relationships.
    

The Lyon Convention Center is home to the Implants 2008 Conference and Exhibition. Photo courtesy of Premier Cercle.

The conference portion of the program was created to be of interest to companies doing business in both domestic and international markets. Show planners pointed out that market demands, physician preferences, and manufacturing processes in the orthopedic market can vary greatly from country to country—even within Europe. Multinational companies must be aware of these diversities. By contrast, companies with a more regional reach and foothold in certain markets hope to develop relationships with major orthopedic manufacturers looking to manufacture in France and elsewhere in Europe. And those individual markets can be extremely lucrative.
   
For example, France is the fourth largest medical device market in the world, ranking behind the United States, Japan and Germany, according to United Kingdom-based research firm Espicom. The French medical device market increasingly is supplied by the foreign sales subsidiaries of multinational companies, several of which manufacture within France, having purchased smaller indigenous firms. Medical device imports reached $8.1 billion in 2006. Due to some attempts to control healthcare spending, however, the medical market is likely to see growth slow slightly, reaching $9.75 billion by 2012, according to the Espicom report.
   
Researchers did note, however, that prospects for medical equipment manufacturers remain promising as a result of a multi-billion-euro hospital investment program enacted to allow France to make up for its shortfall in some equipment areas.
   
To help manufacturers prepare for doing business at home or around the world, some of the wide-ranging topics covered during presentations and panel discussions at Implants 2008 will be:

• Subcontracting trends
• Pricing challenges
• Comparing outsourcing strategies
• International market opportunities
• Advanced materials
• Innovative manufacturing processes
• Supply chain issues
• Product development, including new implant technology (large joint and small bone) and biologics
• Surgeon perspectives
• The role of private equity
• Growing niche products into high-volume profit

Unique networking opportunities with representatives from international orthopedic companies attracted about 400 participants to last year’s Implants conference. Photo courtesy of Premier Cercle.

Speakers from both sides of the Atlantic represent a variety of companies and industry expertise as diverse as the topics being covered. Attendees will hear from more than 25 presenters, including:

• Jean-Paul Burtin, president of JP Consulting based in Phoenixville, PA
• Jean Baptiste Bonnadier, market manager, Medical Europe and Asia for Solvay Advanced Polymers, headquartered in Belgium.
• Frank Chan, senior director of research for Medtronic Spinal and Biologics in Memphis, TN (Chan also is an ODT editorial board member.)
• Ehab M. Esmail, director of regulatory affairs for Wright Medical Technology in Arlington, TN.
• Claude Rieker, scientific marketing director for Zimmer’s division in Switzerland
• Peter Schmidt, director of Cronus Partners LLC in Norwalk, CT
• Irene Sinz, business development manager for Invibio, based in the United Kingdom
• Larry H. Weinberg, chairman and CEO of Viscogliosi & Company, based in New York, NY
• Peter Zeggel, general manager of DOT GmbH in Germany
• Rick Zhang, vice president of Weigao Orthopedic in China
     
In addition to a strong lineup of speakers and content,  the meeting also will boast a number of multinational exhibitors, including:

• 2PS (Projection Plasma Système)
• Acnis international
• AK Steel
• AIP Medical
• Blispac
• DPMR
• Forginal Industries
• Invibio
• Lépine Industries
• MedicalGroup
• Paragon Medical
• Roche SA
• Simagec
• TLS
• Valtronic Technologies

For more information about this event, visit www.implants2008.com.