Zimmer : quality and traceability

Published 2011/03/09

 Located in Étupes, in the Montbéliard region, the company Zimmer France manufactures medical prostheses, specializing in hip replacements. Run by Raoul Barthez, the site employs 180 staff who have completed advanced training in quality and traceability issues. Classified level III, which is the most stringent grading for medical devices, the prostheses manufactured by Zimmer undergo rigorous individual checks and are engraved with a unique identification number. As the product is not marketed directly to patients, it is surgeons who must be won over by its merits. Because prices in this sector are controlled by the social security system, companies must use other sales arguments to position their products. Zimmer differentiates itself through its implantation technology and the lifetime of its prostheses. The company's engineers are thus developing a whole range of operating and implantation instruments and are working to improve manufacturing processes. Knee and hip replacements are currently the prostheses most in demand. In the future, specialists are also predicting the exponential development of prostheses for elbows, shoulders and spine in order to meet the needs of an increasingly elderly population keen to maintain its quality of life. The future looks bright for Zimmer...