A history of the company
Lépine industries is based in the city of Orthez, in the south west of France.
Built in 1979, the Galor factory makes Roger & Gallet perfumes. It was taken over in 1982 by Sanofi (Elf group) and the Galor factory became Sanortho and started making orthopedic surgery material. In 1986, Sanofi sold the Sanortho company to the Smith and Nephew group.
In 1999 the Smith and Nephew group decided to re-sell. The company was bought by a team of executives. In 2005 the company was finally bought by the Lépine group and became Lépine industries.
A history of the prothesis
In the 17th century they frequently amputated legs and arms, often times directly on the battle field. In the 18th century orthopedics appeared. Slowly, reconstructive surgery replaced amputation. In the 19th century (in 1895) Röntgen discovered X-rays, which enabled an efficient assessment of therapeutic results and a quick improvement of techniques.
In 1900 numerous materials were used to make protheses: plaster, boxwood, ivory, rubber, lead, zinc, copper, gold, silver etc. However none of these is appropriate for a prothesis between the femur bone and the hip, as they are either too fragile, too soft or too toxic.
The prothesis
A prothesis is an internal joint device that aims at replacing the hip joint to enable a quasi normal functioning, in any case to enable walking.
The majority of today's implants comes from the one devised by John Charnley in 1962; it is a metal stem implanted in the femur bone and a plastic acorn cup implanted in the pelvis bone. The originality of this implant was the use of acrylic cement to glue the pieces together. Progress was mainly made on the materials used and in particular concerning the resistance to the erosion of the metallic alloys used for the stem.
The market of orthopaedics in the world (prothesis and bracing)
It represents 480 billion euros. The USA represents 60 percent of the market, Europe 20 percent, and France is fourth on the global market, at an estimated 9 billion euros.
The market of orthopaedics in Europe (prothesis and bracing)
One of the characteristics of the European market is a diversity of specific products for small markets. France is second in Europe after Germany and before Italy and the United Kingdom. Those three countries represent 72 percent of the European market.
The French industry of medical devices
It employs more than 40,000 people. Small businesses (250 employees or less) represent 80 percent. An analysis of patents reveals that France is a tank for innovation in the field of orthopaedics and one of the most important in medical industry. 110,000 hip protheses and 55,000 knee protheses are implanted each year.
Prospects
On the American market, there is a yearly growth rate of about 25 percent for rachis protheses as well as trauma products. According to the AAOS (American Association of Orthopaedic Surgeons), the number of implants for 2030 should double in the US. This dramatic growth is linked to an increase in life expectancy and also to the fact that those patients being operatedon are getting younger and younger (younger than 60).
Adapting to the market
Products need to have shorter life cycles. Companies must make profits in order to finance innovation, have to master pollutants, and the origins of the materials in contact with the implant should be tracked.
Between 2000 and 2005, the factory in Orthez widened its skills including designing, making, and marketing, and placed its products on the market. Since the company was taken over, its only aim now is subcontracting.
The different steps of production
First, the product is designed on a computer and production is virtually defined.
The second step is the creation of a die on a forging press from a piece of steel. The forging process is next, heading, deviation and shaping. The fourth step is the finishing process: machining, soldering and polishing. Eventually, the packaging includes cleaning, decontaminating, and passivating.
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