Correction to August Article
Thanks to Stefanie Selck for notifying me that the Goemed and Biedermann companies were actually acquired by the Bauerfeind Group, not by Medi. I apologize for the error.
Since Bauerfeind had already acquired the IPOS Corporation, they are an even larger consolidated group than I had realized. For your convenience, a corrected version of the August article is updated below:
Consolidation of Manufacturers/Suppliers Continues
In the US, we seem to have finished the consolidation phase among patient care facilities, and now the manufacturers and suppliers are merging. Following Ossur's purchase of Flex-Foot/Mauch and Century 22, Otto Bock acquired Springlite. The scuttlebutt in Glasgow was that USMC has purchased the Seattle Orthopedic Group from Hanger, although this has not been confirmed thus far.
A more intriguing example of consolidation was the purchase of the German companies Goemed and Biedermann by the Bauerfeind Group, who had previously acquired the IPOS Corporation. This created an "instant giant" in the German market who can offer a broad range of orthotic and prosthetic products. Such massive changes disrupt the status quo and force everyone to rethink their allegiances and buying customs, because former competitors suddenly become part of the same conglomerate. Over the next year or so, these ripples should dissipate and a new status quo will emerge.