Ottobock Group fully on track

All four pillars of the Ottobock Group – HealthCare, Kunststoff, Sycor and Baltic Yachts – grew significantly in 2015 with combined sales increasing by 10.1 per cent (currency-adjusted 7.3 per cent) to 1.031 billion euros. If the sales of the acquired companies, including the joint ventures FoamPartner Bock and TechnoGel, are added, total turnover has improved from 1.018 billion euros to 1.126 billion euros. The Group's number of employees has gone up from 7,329 to 7,614.

With a sales share of more than 82 per cent, Ottobock HealthCare is the dominant flagship of the Group. Successful innovative products, such as the mechatronic leg prosthesis system Kenevo, further developments like the fourth generation of the C-Leg, as well as the proactive expansion of the global network in patient care and fittings have made it possible to stay on target with sales of 847.7 million euros. This is an increase of 9.9 percent (7.0 per cent adjusted for currency effects).

In the USA, the biggest national market for medical technology, sales have been increased by 29.3 per cent to 172 million euros, which represents growth of 8 per cent when adjusted for currency effects. The main reason for the positive development is the success of mechatronic innovations, further aided by the breadth of the product portfolio and also mechanical solutions. As for the region of Germany, Austria and Switzerland, sales of 122 million euros constitute a plus of 4.5 per cent, while Western Europe as a whole has grown by 5.2 per cent to 443 million euros.

As far as future growth in new markets is concerned, Ottobock Clinical Services Network occupies a key position, with more than 130 patient-fitting centres of its own. Brazil is a good example of this. Thanks to two patient care centres in Rio de Janeiro and Sao Paulo, fitting standards have been raised across the country. This has prompted other providers of patient care services to request that their staff receive further training from Ottobock. This transfer of know-how has been implemented across the country with selected partners and has resulted in increasing demand for premium products.

Meanwhile, Ottobock has offered customers the fabrication of high-quality prosthetic sockets through its Service Fabrication in Valinhos. Furthermore, if requested, the components of a prosthetic systems are assembled in such a way that patients obtain the best possible configuration of components for their individual needs. In 2014 Ottobock took over 75 per cent of the company Polior, which manufactures such components in Brazil.

Ottobock will act as a special partner of the Brazilian organising committee at the Paralympic Games. As an exclusive service provider for athletes from all over the world, the company will deploy 77 O&P professionals from 26 countries in Rio, who will handle repairs and maintenance for prostheses, orthoses and wheelchairs at the athletes' village and in the stadiums. In London in 2012, this team of experts performed 2,062 job orders in 10,000 working hours, making sure that Paralympic dreams of winning medals would not be dashed by technical problems.