CEO Blog

When we began our journey to capture market share in the extremity fixation market, and we began “blogging”, we often spoke about the importance of practicing fundamentals and never forgetting the mission to be accomplished. Hopefully by now, you have realized that OrthoHelix is a company that focuses on making products better by developing implant ideas that improve surgical techniques. We want to satisfy our customers, by helping make their everyday lives simpler and more rewarding. We want to provide surgeons with the tools to give their patients an improved quality of life. We are not a company that is going to invest in “space age” products, but rather make our products more applicable in our space age. To do this, we must “stay the course,” not veer into ventures that have questionable outcomes.  And we certainly do not want to build our company on projects that only produce profits.   

There was a very recent article about Warren Buffet. The subject was his answer to questions about why he was not writing down the valuation of key stock holdings that his company, Berkshire Hathaway, has in Wells Fargo and Kraft Foods. Berkshire has been communicating with the Securities and Exchange Commission about why they did not write down the valuation on their books, as the regulators wanted to know why? Berkshire strongly defended these investments by saying they believe the stocks will rebound. Mr. Buffet believes in these companies, and he believes in staying with strong fundamentals, both company strategic direction and market fundamentals, that will lead to a predictable, successful outcome.

If you want to believe in anything, these days, believe in Warren Buffet. Don’t bet against him. His track record speaks for itself. So, what does this have to do with the extremity fixation market? It has more to do with OrthoHelix, and our belief that we can make a difference. We can grow the business by practicing strong fundamentals. How do we drive differentiation in a market controlled by much bigger, legacy companies? Here are some straight forward answers:

EdgeLock^®: Probably one of the most innovative fixation constructs for calcaneal slide osteotomies. Surgeons quickly understand the design rationale.  They get it!! The plate is indicated for calcaneal displacement osteotomies to correct flat foot and cavus foot. The technique, as opposed to screws, reduces operating room time by eliminating the need for fluoroscopy and does not violate the heel pad. The plating technique also reduces the chance of rotation and provides a stable environment for healing.

Tribrid™ Technology: The addition of a third screw option to our MaxLock Extreme^® family of products is truly unique, mechanically robust and exclusive to OrthoHelix. OrthoHelix's unique plates contain Tribrid™ Technology. The plates can accommodate non-locking, fixed angle locking and variable angle locking screws. Surgeons base their screw choice on patient needs and bone quality. The variable angle option is comprised of a PEEK Ring which is inserted into the locking holes of all MaxLock Extreme^® plates. When the 3.5 mm variable locking screw is inserted, it interfaces with the PEEK Ring to create a locked construct.

Add to these two exciting new products the basic design principles behind MaxLock Extreme^® products, such as anatomically shaped plates, manufacturable, yet tight tolerances, and competitive differentiation and you have products from a company that believes in making the surgical experience better. We will stay the course. We will continue to grow faster than our competitors. When someone questions us about whether we believe in our business. The answer is yes!