German medical device manufacturer Maquet Cardiopulmonary AG is investing in a new clean room production centre and research laboratory in Hechingen which will be used to process and further develop its range of knitted textile based medical devices and other products.

The company which is based in the country’s Neckar-Alb region, manufactures special warp knitted membranes which are used inside oxygenators to keep the cardiovascular systems of patients undergoing heart and lung surgery running smoothly. The new facility, which aims to become a centre of excellence for oxygenators is being set up to secure the company’s long term future, and will be completed by the end of this year.

Leading industrial knitting needle manufacturer Groz-Beckert, which is based in Albstadt about 20 kilometres away, has been a partner to Maquet for many years and has also recently invested in its own future by opening one of the textile world’s most advanced R&D centres. Groz-Beckert's Technology and Development Center (TEZ) was opened at the company’s headquarters in 2010 and has become a centre of excellence for the industry.

According to Groz-Beckert, the Neckar-Alb region of Germany is where high-tech meets high-tech, with comprehensive medical technology expertise on the one hand and efficient, powerful knitting machine needles on the other.

“That's why Maquet Cardiopulmonary AG has relied for many years now on the quality and precision of products from Groz-Beckert,” the company says.

Dynamic region

The Neckar-Alb region of Germany isn't just impressive for its landscape. It has a powerful economy and is home to numerous highly innovative companies.

“Maquet and Groz-Beckert not only have high quality standards in common, they also share the same location. For both companies, the Neckar-Alb high-tech cluster is indispensable,” Groz-Beckert explains.

Heart-lung care

In oxygenator production, warp knitting machines are used to process membrane fibres into mats. The oxygenators, manufactured under clean-room conditions, are basically a kind of ‘artificial lung’ for the most diverse applications in medicine based on extracorporeal membrane oxygenation. Groz-Beckert explains further:

“Extracorporeal means that blood is guided out of the body and enriched with oxygen, and the CO2 it contains is eliminated. This is exactly what the human lung does. At the core of the oxygenator, a microporous membrane functioning as a diffuser is a key component in this process. The fresh blood is then pumped back into the body's circulation – which corresponds to the function of the heart. At Maquet, the high-tech membrane is manufactured using knitting-machine needles by Groz-Beckert.”

“Maquet’s oxygenators, which are made in Hechingen, are used most frequently in patient heart and lung care. During surgery, inside heart-lung machines, they keep the patients alive, and even outside the operating room they assist those who are gravely ill – as a result of serious infections, for instance, or life-threatening situations caused by limited heart and lung function.”

Maquet Cardiopulmonary AG is a part of the Maquet Cardiovascular division, based in Rastatt, Germany. Since 1838 Maquet has been a reliable partner to hospitals and physicians and today to global leaders in medical systems for cardiovascular surgery and intensive care.

Maquet develops and designs innovative products and therapy applications for operating rooms, hybrid operating rooms and catheter laboratories, intensive care wards, and patient transportation applications in acute care clinics. In this way, the company is constantly helping to improve patient care as well as quality of life.

In addition to oxygenators, the cardiovascular division at Maquet also manufactures products for intra-aortic balloon counterpulsation therapy in cardiac support, for coronary-arterial bypass surgery, and for aortic and peripheral vascular surgery. The recent acquisition of Atrium Medical has enhanced the therapy options available to Maquet Cardiovascular in the thrombus management, heart surgery and biosurgery sectors.

Maquet is a subsidiary of the Swedish Getinge Group, which is listed on the stock exchange. In 2011 Maquet generated almost 1.4 billion Euro – equivalent to more than half the Group's annual revenues of 2.4 billion Euro. The Getinge Group has 13,000 employees worldwide (6,000 of whom work for Maquet) and 50 international sales and service organizations. Over 280 distribution partners form part of the company’s global network.

“Groz-Beckert thanks Maquet for the good partnership and looks forward to further successful cooperation in the future. To find out more about the special requirements placed on knitting-machine needles in membrane production for oxygenators, just get in touch with the experts from Groz-Beckert, who will be happy to assist,” Groz-Beckert concludes.

www.groz-beckert.com