Sandvik Announces European Center Of Excellence

Main Category: Bones / Orthopaedics
Article Date: 09 Jun 2009 - 1:00 PDT

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Swedish global industrial group, Sandvik, is announcing the development of the new Sandvik European Center of Excellence (SECoE) for finish processing and supply management activities for orthopedic implants and instruments.

This announcement, when set against the current economic backdrop, highlights Sandvik's long term commitment to the medical industry and its determination to deliver value to its customers through innovation and excellence.

The SECoE will enable Sandvik to further strengthen its position as a strategic partner to medical technology companies, helping customers improve their competitiveness.

The new facility, to be sited in South Yorkshire, six miles from Sandvik's casting operation, will bring together the machining and finishing operations from its two existing facilities in Sheffield. The SECoE will then hold the processes required to complete the manufacture of finished implants and instrumentation in one location. Furthermore, Sandvik will be better placed to capitalise fully on its in-depth materials knowledge and cutting edge manufacturing expertise.

As a consequence, Sandvik will be able to enhance its customers' speed to market for the next generation of medical devices.

Tord Lendau, President, MedTech, Sandvik, explained: "This is a major step forward for us. At a time when many organisations are waiting to see if and when the global economy recovers, we are implementing our long term strategy to the future benefit of ourselves and our customers.

"Medical device companies are today performing well but they operate in a highly competitive market and so there is never any room for complacency. We must keep evolving, continually improving our efficiency, working closely with medical device companies on new product development and introducing innovative manufacturing techniques to increase the speed to market whilst maintaining quality.

"Our materials knowledge combined with our known cutting edge production expertise places us in an extremely strong position from a technology perspective. The new state-of-the-art SECoE, that will bring our knowledge and expertise together into one location, will provide a platform for further growth. Therefore, we will be able to give customers the flexibility to meet increasing market demand without significant investment on their part."

Construction of the SECoE begins immediately and it will be operational by the end of 2009. The development will incorporate the latest in environmentally-friendly technology, minimising energy consumption.

Tord Lendau concluded: "In the current economic environment, all companies need to be certain they are working with strong suppliers; failure in the supply chain could be critical. The development of the SECoE shows we truly are a long-term partner medical device companies can rely on."

Source
Sandvik