Japan Based Olympus Buys France Based FH ORTHO

The 101-year old Japanese firm, Olympus Corporation, has announced its acquisition of Heimsbrunn, France-based FH ORTHO SAS, a 55-year old supplier of orthopedic implants and instruments.

Olympus, which is probably best known for its high-end camera and optics business, also has one of the largest and most respected precision medical products businesses in the world. Its life sciences divisions  began as suppliers of microscopes and thermometers. Today, Olympus supplies an extraordinarily wide array of high end, precision scientific and medical products.  In orthopedics, the company has focused on tools, instruments and implants which facilitate minimally invasive surgery.

Olympus Executive Officer and Chief Operating Officer Nacho Abia spoke with OTW about its expansion. “We see strong potential in orthopedics where we have valuable know-how when it comes to bone substitutes or minimally invasive surgery products already. We want to make full use of these capabilities for the benefit of patients by expanding our portfolio and distribution.”

Abia continued, “Olympus is already active in orthopedics in Japan through its joint venture Olympus Terumo Biomaterials [OTB]. However, in order to scale this field for larger markets, we were looking for a strong partner with a compatible portfolio and strong opportunity for distribution and found this in FH ORTHO. OTB products such as bone substitutes and HTO [high tibial osteotomy] related devices and the ultrasound device for arthroscopic surgery Olympus has just developed complement each other very well and we can now scale distribution.”

Founded over 55 years ago, FH ORTHO creates and produces orthopedic devices. Its surgeon-developed solutions can be found in more than 37 countries and include products dedicated to joint reconstruction, biologics, foot and ankle, ligament repair, spine, and trauma surgery.

Abia told OTW, “FH ORTHO has a broad range of products and global distribution channels in the orthopedic field, and FH ORTHO also has a long history of business operation in the orthopedic industry while Olympus has a high market share in a certain area, high tibial osteotomy (HTO), in a limited market, Japan. We expect a huge synergistic effect from this acquisition, combining the product portfolios and the distribution channels.”