For us as a family-run business, it is self-evident that we make long-term decisions which enable healthy and sustainable growth. In doing so, we pay attention not only to our own interests, but also to those of our customers, their patients, our employees and society in general.
In medical technology in particular, we as medical technology manufacturer must take responsibility for creating a better tomorrow, ensuring the sustainable treatment of patients and helping to optimize processes in hospitals. We are aware of this responsibility and have been working together with practitioners on the development and improvement of medical products since our founding. Our actions are in line with our vision "Surgical Innovation is our Passion". We always aim for being one step ahead of new technologies and are therefore constantly reinventing ourselves. This is how we create a better tomorrow.
Our overriding goal is the sustainable improvement of patient care. To achieve this, we not only work on improving our products, but also on complementary services. We invest today in tomorrow's innovation. Over the past five years, we have increased the number of employees in product development by approximately 63%, in the area of software development even by 100%. One result of our software development is our free communication platform IPS Gate® in the field of patient-specific implants. It facilitates the exchange of knowledge between internationally spread physicians, our implant developers and all those involved in the process. It thus contributes to accelerating patient treatment.
Furthermore, we promote medical progress through research collaborations such as with S.O.R.G. and the support of scientific institutions such as the IAOMS in the education of surgeons. In addition, we ourselves offer numerous training and further education opportunities for surgeons and other clinic staff, e.g. the reprocessing unit for medical devices (RUMED).
Even if the treatment of patients would be possible from a medical perspective, it is not feasible in some developing countries for financial reasons. In order to provide patients with a better quality of life, we support various projects. For example, in Tanzania and Ethiopia.
For us, sustainability with regards to our customers means supporting them in providing optimum patient care, conserving resources and creating new ones. Both ecologically and economically. In concrete terms, this means the sustainable treatment of patients, the reduction of hospital waste and the efficient design of hospital processes.
Gentle treatment of the environment
Hospital waste pollutes the environment. Unlike other manufacturers, the main part of our instruments is reusable. Of course this means that those instruments in comparison to single use instruments need to be processed in the RUMED. In the long run, however, the costs incurred in this way are significantly lower than the disposal costs saved. Examples of reusable instruments include our electrosurgery instruments.
The philosophy of recyclability and durability is also reflected in our other products. The microStop® sterilization container, for example, does not require any consumables such as filters, seals or sheet stock and thus significantly reduces the amount of waste generated. In addition, it can be sterilized as often as required and has a long service life. Our diode-pumped Nd:YAG laser Limax® is also designed in such a way that consumables such as fibrin sealants or stapler can be dispensed with as far as possible.
Even though we manufacture all our products with highest quality standards and the goal of durability, we cannot completely rule out the possibility that a defect may occur during use. For these situations we have the Technical Service Center. As long as it is economical, we offer our customers the repair of their equipment.
Increase of efficiency and profitability
Particularly in a clinical environment where processes are governed by laws and guidelines, it is essential to exploit cost-saving potential. In addition to the reduction of hospital waste and the associated cost savings, there is optimization potential in routine processes such as the reprocessing of medical devices, procedures in the operating theatre, in the area of clinic purchasing or in external communication.
We offer clinics tailored instrument management to improve profitability in the reprocessing of medical devices and processes in the operating theatre. In addition to recording the existing instrument stock, this includes the repair and replacement of defect instruments and the replanning of instrument tray compositions. By detecting defective instruments early on, they can usually be repaired at low cost and therefore the replacement can be avoided. In addition, the replanning of the instrument trays reduces the number of instruments to a minimum. On the one hand, this saves costs in reprocessing and storage. On the other hand, the OR team can act faster and therefore save time in the OR thanks to a clearer arrangement of the trays.
A corporate vision only comes to life when it is lived by the employees of a company. This is also the case for our vision "Surgical Innovation is our Passion". Every day, our employees do everything they can to improve our customers' working day and thus patient care. We value each and every one of them and want to give them something back. On the one hand, through responsible economic action and thus long-term job security and the creation of new jobs, on the other hand, also through our treatment of the environment, the promotion of the health of our employees as well as individual training and development opportunities.
Individual training and development opportunities
Every employee is different with regards to previous knowledge, strengths and weaknesses and area of responsibility. We adapt to each employee and create a tailor-made onboarding plan. This consists of general training on the medical disciplines we supervise, clinical procedures and our product categories. The training does not end after the onboarding; it is more a continuous process. Our employees can register independently for training courses and thus refresh or expand their knowledge. Not only with internal, but also with external training. In addition, we promote personal development by sending employees to our subsidiaries or completing a higher level of education.
Workplace health
We want our employees to be in good health. We support a healthy lifestyle at work by providing free fruit and promoting participation in sports competitions such as the annual "run & fun". Outside working hours, we support the sporting activities of our employees through a health program we subsidize called “Hansefit”, in which our employees are given discounted access to numerous fitness studios or other sports activities.
As a family-owned company, we see it as our duty to reflect on the impact of our entrepreneurial activities on society and to promote its sustainable development. Internationally, nationally and regionally.
Internationally, we are committed to medical progress, the training of clinical personnel and the improvement of patients' quality of life through research collaborations and the support of various associations and projects.
In addition to our international responsibility, we also act nationally and regionally. A large part of our production is located in Germany. Furthermore, we contribute to the training and further education of young employees by offering apprenticeships and cooperative study programs.
We are closely linked with the region around Tuttlingen, since our headquarters are located there. We have always supported clubs, initiatives and projects related to sports, art and culture in order to promote social interaction.
Wherever economically viable, we choose environmentally friendly alternatives. This begins with the development of our products, continues with their manufacture and ends with the equipping of our buildings and workplaces. This way, we want to play our part in reducing CO2 emissions and waste.
Reduction of CO2 emissions
For us, modern workplaces and production facilities are the starting point for sustainable development. This is why we continuously invest in the further development of our production itself and the linked production processes.
We are not only investing in our production facilities, but also in our office buildings. Our KLS Martin WORLD visitor center is equipped with a heat exchange system and the latest communication technologies. This means that our employees are digitally networked across locations, which leads to a reduction in their travel activities and thus environmental pollution. We also offer charging stations for e-cars at various company locations.
Reduction of waste generation
We stand for innovative, high-quality and durable products. For their production, we need flawless, high-quality raw materials. These are tested by our six production plants. In the unlikely event that defects should occur, we try to repair the equipment or instruments first, if it is economically viable. Equipment is only disposed of when repair is no longer an option.
We not only make decisions about the materials we use, but also about consumables in our everyday office life. We take care to use resources carefully and, if possible, to use renewable raw materials. For example, we have replaced consumables in our cafeteria in Tuttlingen with environmentally friendly alternatives.
We drive digital innovations and business models. Our internal and external communication is becoming more and more digital. In the past, for example, we sent a printed user manual as standard with every product that was shipped. In the future, we will send digital manuals instead of the printed version wherever possible. This will enable us to significantly reduce paper consumption.