New Hip, New Knee: Mobility into Advanced Age
Interview with Florian Hoffmann, managing director of implantcast GmbH
implantcast GmbH, based in Buxtehude, is among the leading manufacturers of endoprostheses and custom implants. Since its founding in 1988, the company has grown into an internationally active medical technology specialist with over 850 employees and eleven subsidiaries. Today, implantcast delivers to more than 70 countries. In conversation with Wirtschaftsforum, managing director Florian Hoffmann discusses innovation that can even be a matter of life and death.
Wirtschaftsforum: Mr. Hoffmann, implantcast develops and produces orthopedic implants. How would you broadly describe your market?
Florian Hoffmann: Essentially, we are talking about three segments: the primary market – so standardized first-time implants such as for hips or knees –, the revision market, where existing implants are replaced, and the tumor market. In the latter, we are the global market leader. We originally came from the revision sector, but today we are active in all three segments, with implants for hips, knees, shoulders, elbows, fingers, and ankles.
Wirtschaftsforum: How customized are your products?
Florian Hoffmann: Very strong, especially in complex cases. For example, when bones are destroyed or a bone tumor is present, we manufacture individual implants based on CT or MRI data. The surgeon checks the digital plan, gives approval, and we produce exactly according to these specifications. This is particularly challenging with children suffering from bone cancer. In such cases, so-called growth prostheses are used, which can be extended by an electrical impulse; thus the implant grows along with them. This drastically reduces the number of surgeries.
Wirtschaftsforum: What distinguishes implantcast from competitors?
Florian Hoffmann: Mainly the quality and the proximity to customers. Our products are precise, modular, and individually combinable—and they are almost 100% made in Buxtehude. The entire value chain is in our hands, we hardly work with external suppliers. This ensures transparency, security, and high standards. At the same time, we maintain close, often long-standing partnerships with doctors worldwide. Many of these specialists, such as professors from Greece or Brazil, actively contribute to further development. This exchange is priceless. We promote the exchange, for example at our annual congresses, where surgeons from all over the world openly discuss difficult cases and learn from each other.
Wirtschaftsforum: How do you currently view the market?
Florian Hoffmann: The demand is growing – people are getting older and expect mobility into old age. But on the other hand, there are underfunded hospitals and enormous price pressure, especially in the primary market. Large US corporations produce more cheaply and dominate many areas. This may seem attractive in the short term, but it carries risks. If we want to keep key technologies like medical technology in Germany, the health system must be willing to stand up for it. Otherwise, we lose know-how and independence.
Wirtschaftsforum: What role does regulation play in this context?
Florian Hoffmann: It plays a big role. The European MDR, or Medical Device Regulation, has good intentions, but in practice, it stifles innovation. Approvals take years, while comparable processes in the USA are sometimes completed in three months. This is a real competitive disadvantage for the European location. Currently, we prefer to have our products approved in the USA, as the testing cycles in Europe are so long that products come to market there up to five years later.
Wirtschaftsforum: What direction should implantcast take in the coming years?
Florian Hoffmann: We will continue to grow internationally. We recently transferred our distribution in Austria to a separate subsidiary. At the same time, we invest heavily in sustainability and new technologies. Our production increasingly uses additive manufacturing, i.e., 3D printing processes, which save material and work more precisely. We are also focusing on energy efficiency, photovoltaics, and electromobility. Artificial intelligence is also playing an increasing role, for instance in implant planning or in surgical navigation.
Wirtschaftsforum: Finally, could you tell us what personally motivates you?
Florian Hoffmann: My motivation is that with our work we actually help people. It's about quality of life, mobility, or in extreme cases survival. These are things that last. And that motivates me anew every day.