“We are not here to enable people to improve themselves purely for aesthetic reasons,” underlinesCEO Carlos Reis Pinto. “We want to help patients to believe in themselves and feel more confident. This is why the safety and quality of our implants is so important. Each woman needs a dedicated-solution which she knows will not cause any complications, a brand and product that she can trust and makes her feel good. For this reason, we consider ourselves a healthcare aesthetic partner rather than aesthetic sector manufacturer only.”
Breast implants make up around 90% of GC Aesthetics’ production, with the remainder relating to body and face implants and tissue expander products. “An implant is an operative procedure and surgeons generally don’t promote only beauty or attractiveness, but also confidence and durable feelings of happiness – in other words, psychological wellbeing – which is something much stronger,” continues Mr. Reis Pinto. “Consequently, products must be of the highest quality so that patients are satisfied, and their medical doctors feel confident to recommend the solution.”
GC Aesthetics cares not only about patients, but also for the surgeons who use its products. Following quality, a doctor’s next priority is workflow; medical professionals demand efficiency, and the company ensures they get this through fast delivery of effective implants and education support delivered through a training program called “GCA Academy”.
Technology, packaging and training in its products all play a key role. The firm boasts a long and impressive history. It was formed through the acquisition of two specialist implant manufacturers – Nagor in the UK and the French firm Eurosilicone – both of which were acquired by an Irish company GC Aesthetics.
Together, Nagor and Eurosilicone had 62 years of experience in the implant business, and both had strong reputations in terms of quality. As the product of this merger, GC Aesthetics has been able to leverage the diverse advantages of each of the original companies.
“The long history and the strength of the GC Aesthetics structure of the firm means that patients can be confident that, if they need us in ten years’ time, we will still be here to help them,” says Mr. Reis Pinto. “The two firms were quite different in terms of their experience and know-how.”
As a result, GC Aesthetics has a very broad portfolio from which patients and surgeons can select, based on personal preference. Three factors normally drive this: touch sensitivity, medical evidence supported by clinical data and brand reputation.
The two companies also operated in different territories, which means we now have access to a very wide international market. And, of course, an added benefit for our clients is that they now only have one contact person for all of these products.
Headquartered in Dublin, the company has production facilities in France and Scotland as well as sales offices in Spain, Italy, Germany, the UK and Brazil. In addition, it works with sales partners in over 60 countries around the world, some of them for over 25 years. Around 50% of its implants are sold in Europe, 35% in Latin America and 15% in Asia Pacific.
Since the merger, GC Aesthetics has concentrated on three strategic goals. Firstly, it is continuing to bring innovation to the market; this encompasses not only the products themselves, but also digitalization to support efficient workflow. The continuing improvement of product quality is also a key pillar.
“Based on tests, data and facts, the recognition by health professionals that our implants are of the highest quality is our DNA,” underlines the CEO. Generating healthy, sustainable growth to allow it to invest in further innovation, quality, and its staff, is the firm’s third priority.
“One important focus for us is digitalization to improve communication between suppliers, customers, doctors, patients and ourselves,” notes Mr. Reis Pinto. This strategy has put GC Aesthetics in a strong position for the future. “Over the next five years our ambitions are driven by three areas: Continue to invest in innovative solutions, continue driving high quality standards in a highly regulated sector and broaden our market footprint, for example in Asia Pacific, where we see a huge potential,” sums up Mr. Reis Pinto.
“We are building the future today in order to remain the leader tomorrow. The aesthetic market is still quite fragmented, with many players; I see the opportunity for some consolidation. We want to focus on our ultimate goal: we are a company that cares for patients and we want to help them to leave the past behind and look positively to the future. That is also what really motivates me personally: being able to improve people’s everyday lives.”
