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| FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE December 2006 |
For more information please contact: Muriel Mosher Tel: 207-623-0680 |
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ANDOVER, MA - When a professional athlete has a knee injury, he or she may probably undergo a procedure known as arthroscopy, a minimally-invasive surgery involving very small incisions that repairs joints. Using a scope, or a very small camera, an experienced surgeon can evaluate the entire knee joint and can identify exactly what is injured inside the knee, as well as manipulate the instruments during the surgery. This is a very intricate process. Smith & Nephew develops and markets advanced medical devices for these types of surgeries. Along with several new initiatives, the company’s Endoscopy division in Andover, Massachusetts recently developed the DYONICS™ 25 Fluid Management System, a device designed to pump sterile fluid into the joint being treated, giving the surgeon the space needed to treat the injury. "This was a new endeavor for us. We knew specialized training and professional development for our highly-skilled engineers and product development staff was crucial as we moved forward with this project," said Sally Maher, vice president for Research and Development at Smith & Nephew Endoscopy. "Our human resources department pointed us towards the Massachusetts Manufacturing Extension Partnership (MassMEP) Innovation Program, a program linking technology road mapping to cutting edge technology training, to get us started." "We used the company's strategic technology road map, which helped us identify and develop the technologies required for several new projects, including the DYONICS™ 25 Fluid Management System,” said Greg King, program manager for the MassMEP Innovation Program. "After the workforce development plan was put into place, we provided Smith & Nephew the resources needed to support the required technology training for their engineers and scientists." With help from the MassMEP Innovation Program, the team at Smith & Nephew Endoscopy was able to incorporate technology from outside their company and still contain project development costs. In all, 65 engineers and scientists participated in 20 professional development and technology transfer programs. This training was imperative to the successful release of a product like the DYONICS™ 25 Fluid Management System. "The MassMEP Innovation Program encourages companies to find technology they don’t have and bring it in-house to increase the competency of its own staff. That's exactly what happened at Smith & Nephew Endoscopy," added Maher. "The training the MassMEP helped us provide for our research and development staff only enhances our organization and gives us a competitive advantage not only as a medical device manufacturer, but as a Massachusetts employer." |
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