TITANIUM 2012: Creating Supply Chain Value for the Medical and Dental Device Industries into the Future

Thomas U. Zuccarini, Dynamet manager of medical and consumer markets and sales administration, will serve as the moderator for the panel. Speakers will offer insights on how companies in the titanium global supply chain are positioning themselves for success in the medical sector.

"Titanium companies that focus on research and development, innovation and cost reduction will be in the best position to participate in a medical device market that has good fundamentals in place to represent strong demand for many years to come," Zuccarini said. He noted titanium is the most biocompatible of all metals and is a material of choice in a broad spectrum of medical and dental applications. Titanium resists attack from body fluids, is lightweight, strong and non-magnetic.

Trends toward more active lifestyles and the pressure to control healthcare costs will favor the continued use of titanium, according to Zuccarini. Titanium companies that succeed in the medical sector will be defined by "how well the participants in the supply chain work together to increase value, which is becoming more difficult in the current global economy and political landscape. Contrary to prior belief, the medical device industry is not recession proof."

Panel speakers include Francisco Faoro, who heads the surgical products development business unit of Institut Straumann AG. Based in Switzerland, Straumann develops and manufactures dental implants, instruments and tissue-regeneration products. Faoro's presentation, "Fuelling Innovation in the Premium Dental Products Sector," will include information on Straumann's high-performance dental implant material for the North American market—an alloy of titanium and zirconium known as Roxolid™. His talk will describe how the new material has higher fatigue and tensile strength compared with commercially pure titanium.

"Sustaining Innovation within the Orthopedic Industry" is the title of a presentation by Don Urbanowicz, principal of Urbanowicz Consulting LLC, a medical device advisory firm with a musculoskeletal focus, based in Chatham, NJ. Urbanowicz will discuss how successful innovators "have little fear of cannibalizing their big revenue generators to build new businesses. These companies make frequent but smaller acquisitions that secure new technologies and open new markets." Innovative ideas can come from all levels of an organization, but companies need a clear process to prioritize and test ideas quickly and inexpensively so they can afford to keep experimenting, according to Urbanowicz.

Steven Dragovich, vice president and general manager of Orchid Keller, Orchid Orthopedic Solutions, Torrance, CA, will focus on "Outsourcing as a Business Strategy." Dragovich will describe how total supply-chain integration and project focus can result in pinpoint mobilization of materials and technology to rival the in-house operations of any original equipment manufacturer and accelerate product development.

TITANIUM 2012 represents an efficient way for delegates to gain timely market intelligence and meet potential partners, customers and vendors. The annual gathering attracts titanium producers, distributors, designers and fabricators from throughout the world. Attendees typically hold executive positions in areas such as management, sales and marketing, product development, production, engineering, purchasing and quality control. Last year TITANIUM 2011, held in San Diego, drew a record attendance of 1,168 guests from 28 countries.

Learn more about the upcoming event at www.titanium.org or contact the ITA at (303) 404-2221.

Contact: Jennifer Simpson, Executive Director
1-303-404-2221 Telephone
1-303-404-9111 Facsimile
[email protected] Email

SOURCE International Titanium Association