BAKERSFIELD, Calif.,
Oct. 21, 2016 /PRNewswire/ --
Orthotic Composites, a manufacturer of composite lower extremity
orthopedic braces, has been purchased by The Thuasne Group, an
international family-owned health care business founded in
France in 1847.
Thuasne will operate Orthotic Composites as a wholly-owned
manufacturing unit in Great
Britain, and will co-market the products through Thuasne's
existing UK distribution subsidiary. Of greater strategic
significance, the products and proprietary fabrication processes
developed by Orthotic Composites will be integrated into the
manufacturing operations and North
America sales network of Townsend Design, a USA subsidiary of The Thuasne Group. Acquired
by Thuasne in 2011, Townsend is a recognized leader in the design
and fabrication of technically-advanced braces for patients who
experience injuries and medical conditions that compromise mobility
and movement.
"We are very pleased to provide an international platform for
the exceptional technology created by Tim
Cooney, the founder of Orthotic Composites. These highly
specialized orthopedic braces perfectly complement Thuasne's and
Townsend's existing range of premium medical products," said
Elizabeth Ducottet, CEO and owner of The Thuasne Group. "We will
combine the expertise and technology of Townsend and Orthotic
Composites to offer the world's most structurally efficient carbon
graphite and composite orthopedic braces."
"It is an exciting evolution for our company to join such a
prestigious international business that shares our mission of
helping people overcome physical limitations," said Tim Cooney, a Certified Prosthetist Orthotist
(CPO) who founded Orthotic Composites in 2011. "This accelerates
the introduction of our composite braces to medical professionals
and patients around the world."
According to Rick Riley, CEO of
Townsend, the lightweight, durable and cosmetically-appealing lower
extremity braces developed by Orthotic Composites will be very
interesting to Townsend's existing customers. "Incorporating new
products and manufacturing processes into our existing product
range and central fabrication services will further elevate
Townsend's status as a trusted expert resource for complex
specialty braces," said Riley.
Townsend has already initiated manufacturing of one of Orthotic
Composites most successful products, a prefabricated composite AFO
(Ankle Foot Orthosis). Sales of the SpryStep Dynamic AFO began
earlier this month in the USA and
Canada, prior to the completion of
the acquisition. Global sales of the same product, manufactured at
Townsend's fabrication center in Bakersfield, California, will be launched in
2017 through Thuasne's company-owned European subsidiaries, as well
as medical device distributors in Asia, Africa,
Australia and the Middle East.
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SOURCE Townsend Design