Download Schnipke Engraving and Ethicon Work Together to Shape the Future

Schnipke Engraving and Ethicon Work Together to Shape the Future
of Surgery
Treating medical conditions involves collaboration
among many players and processes to provide the
best result for the patient. When the health concern
is obesity-related – bringing into play treatment
options including bariatric surgery – a vital
connection develops not only between the patient
and physician, but also among the specialty
manufacturer, supplier and distributor that work
together to deliver essential medical equipment.
Health risks associated with obesity are substantial,
including Type 2 diabetes, cardiovascular problems,
and stroke. In addition, health costs linked to
obesity continue to spiral – in 2008 alone, obesity
accounted for $147 billion in medical costs,
according to statistics reported by the Centers for
Disease Control and Prevention.
Today, a rising number of obese patients are
turning to bariatric surgery to lose weight and help
reduce the many health issues, or comorbidities,
which can result from obesity. More than 80
percent of weight-loss surgeries now incorporate
minimally invasive bariatric techniques, such as
gastric bypass, adjustable gastric banding and
sleeve gastrectomy, using laparoscopic technology
that decreases pain
scarring and length of hospital stay while speeding
recovery.
Ethicon, which manufactures medical devices and
is part of the Johnson & Johnson Family of
Companies, is dedicated to transforming patients’
lives by resolving weight-related conditions.
Ethicon collaborates with The Schnipke Engraving
Company, a woman-owned specialty
manufacturer, and global distributor Owens &
Minor to develop and move novel products
through the supply chain for use in bariatric and
other surgical procedures.
Partnering to Create Tools for Weight
Loss, Health Gain
The Schnipke Engraving Company is a certified
women’s business enterprise that manufactures a
wide variety of molds and plastic components for
medical purposes. The 198-employee company
operates two state-of-the-art facilities in Ottoville,
Ohio, and Tucson, Arizona, and excels at providing
solutions for Ethicon and other original equipment
manufacturer medical customers.
026799-141219
Schnipke Engraving’s often complex components
are used in medical applications including bariatric
surgery and robotics that require special and often
intricate workings called cartridges and drivers.
These elements, when assembled, provide a holding
mechanism to staple tissue together in both open
and endoscopic surgeries.
Founded by Leonard Schnipke in 1962, the business
originally focused on industrial engraving and
complex pantograph image duplication. In
1967 Schnipke Engraving transitioned into the
plastic injection mold-making industry, soon
expanding the complexity of its molds. Today,
Leonard’s oldest daughter, Elie Halter, heads the
cutting-edge company.
“It has been very exciting, learning and growing
with Ethicon over the years,” Halter said. “Together,
we have been able to push technology past the
limits, often creating components or developing
technologies that had been considered impossible.
It is very satisfying to know that we are helping to
save or improve patients’ lives with the quality
products we manufacture every day.”
Schnipke Engraving has worked closely with
Ethicon since 1986. Although cartridges and drivers
were the mainstay of the firm’s growth with
Ethicon for many years, Schnipke also
manufactures many other small, precision, micromolded components – some weighing as little as
0.02 grams – that play an integral role in the
function of various surgical devices in transforming
patient care.
Delivering Both Weight Loss
And Supplier Diversity Solutions
Bill Devlin, Enterprise Plastics Category Sourcing
Specialist with Ethicon, said,
“We have enjoyed a long and collaborative
relationship with Schnipke. They have been a
quality manufacturer and a key partner in helping
Johnson & Johnson to deliver innovative products
to our patients.”
Ethicon customer Owens & Minor, a Fortune 500
company located in Mechanicsville, Virginia,
distributes those innovative products – including
the specialty devices used in bariatric surgeries for
weight loss – to hospitals around the world to
improve patient health. In the process, it also
contributes to improving growth opportunities for
diverse suppliers such as Schnipke.
Angela Wilkes, Director, Supplier Diversity &
Sustainability at Owens & Minor, said,
“Our company is a strong supporter of Tier 2
suppliers. As a global distributor, we supply
products, such as the medical equipment created
by Ethicon through its partnership with Schnipke,
to a wide range of hospital customers. This global
reach broadens exposure for women- and
minority-owned businesses while at the same
time generating local economic development and
growth prospects that, in our industry, are equal
to those created through Tier 1 relationships.”
Ethicon, and all Johnson & Johnson companies,
share in a commitment to supplier diversity and
the importance it brings to the community
through expanded opportunities and job creation,
while potentially helping to reduce economic
disparities. Johnson & Johnson is the only
healthcare company in the supplier diversity
Billion Dollar Roundtable – a group of companies
that each spends at least a billion dollars annually
in support of minority/women-owned companies.
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026799-141219