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Karl Storz SE

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Karl Storz SE & Co. KG, is a privately owned family enterprise specialising in the production and sale of medical instruments such as endoscopes and other surgical instruments. The company was founded in Tuttlingen by Dr. Karl Storz in 1945.[1][2] It is recognised as a global leader in human medical instruments in the field of minimally invasive surgery and rigid endoscopes used for examining body cavities.[3][4] It is also one of the top manufacturers in the industrial endoscopy sector.

After the death of founder Karl Storz in 1996, his daughter, Sybill Storz, took over the company’s management. At the beginning of 2019, leadership transitioned to her son, Karl-Christian Storz.

History

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Karl Storz, a surgical mechanic, founded his company in 1945 in Tuttlingen, initially focusing on the production of instruments and lamps for ear, nose, and throat medicine. The company was one of the first to introduce an endoscope that delivered light using fiber optics, in 1963.[5][6]: 382 [7]: 3274–75  It also licensed the patent for the Hopkins relay lens and introduced endoscopes including such lenses in 1965.[2][7]: 3275 

As the company grew, its first subsidiary, Karl Storz Endoscopy-America, Inc., was established in the United States of America in 1971.[8] The group focused on industrial products like borescopes under the name Karl Storz Industrial Group.[9] A significant milestone came in 1987 with the first laparoscopic removal of a gallbladder, marking the advent of minimally invasive surgery. Karl Storz's instruments played a key role in promoting the surgical technique, contributing to the development of the field and expansion of the company.

KARL STORZ Endoscopy Canada Ltd. was established in December 1995 to offer Canadian customers even more direct support.[10]

After the death of Karl Storz' in 1996, his daughter, Sybill, assumed leadership of the company.[11] Under her guidance, the company registered over 100 new patents and achieved annual sales growth rates of 15 to 20 percent.[12] In 1998, the OR1 networked operating theatre was introduced, and the following year a logistics and training centre was opened in Tuttlingen. In 2000, the company launched the first mobile documentation system for endoscopic use. In the years after 2000, Sybill Storz received a number of awards for her entrepreneurial achievements and her social commitment.[12][13]

As of 2012 it employed around 5,800 people worldwide and had annual sales of around 1 billion euros.[11]

In 2017, it was the subject of several lawsuits concerning deaths following use of morcellators that it sold; in 2014 the FDA had advised that these devices should be withdrawn from the market due to the risk of spreading cancer and while Ethicon, the market leader, had withdrawn their devices, Karl Storz had not.[14] In 2017, it changed its corporate form from GmbH to Societas Europaea.[15]

In 2019, Karl-Christian Storz took over the management of the operational business and his mother Sybill Storz became head of the supervisory board.

Company data

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In addition to the headquarters in Tuttlingen, the company manufactures in seven other production facilities. More than 8,000 employees in 47 sales and marketing companies are employed worldwide[16] around 3,000 of them at the headquarters in Tuttlingen. Up to 150 apprentices are trained in twelve professions. The company's total turnover in 2018 was over 1.75 billion euros.[17]

Karl Storz SE & Co. KG is a member of the Industrial Association of Baden.[18]

Locations

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Germany

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Estonia

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America

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Mergers & Acquisitions

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The company acquired AventaMed, a spinoff from Munster Technological University in 2015, in January 2023.[26]

In January 2024, Karl Storz announced its acquisition of the London-based software manufacturer Innersight Labs Ltd. (ISL).[27][28]

In July 2024 the US-based Asensus Surgical, Inc., (NYSE America: ASXC) (also known as Asensus Surgical or Asensus) announced plans to be purchased by Karl Storz Group.[29] The merger was completed in August 2024.[30]

Awards

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  • IMAGE 1 SPIES ™ Visualisation Enhancement Tools system was awarded 'Innovation of the Year 2014', from Society of Laparoendoscopic Surgeons[31]

References

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  1. ^ Nezhat, Camran (2005). "Chapter 19. 1960's". Nezhat's History of Endoscopy. Society of Laparoendoscopic Surgeons. Archived from the original on 2018-07-27. Retrieved 2017-10-22.
  2. ^ a b Berci, G; Cuschieri, A (December 1996). "Karl Storz, 1911-1996. A remembrance". Surgical Endoscopy. 10 (12): 1123. doi:10.1007/s004649900261. PMID 8939825. S2CID 43551017.
  3. ^ "KARL STORZ Introduces New 3D Surgical Imaging System and Modular Camera Platform at Arab Health 2020". Hospimedica.com. 2020-01-30. Retrieved 2024-09-11.
  4. ^ a b "Karl Storz Endoskope" [Karl Storz Endoscopes]. St. Galler Tagblatt (in German). 2011-12-14. Retrieved 2024-09-11.
  5. ^ Gelijns, Annetine C.; Rosenberg, Nathan (1995). "Chapter 4: From the Scalpel to the Scope: Endoscopic Innovations in Gastroenterology, Gynecology, and Surgery". In Rosenberg, N; Gelijns, AC; Dawkins, H (eds.). Sources of Medical Technology: Universities and Industry. National Academies Press (US).
  6. ^ Leonhard, Martin; Irion, Klaus-Martin (2011). "Endoscopy". Springer handbook of Medical Technology. Berlin: Springer. pp. 379–403. ISBN 978-3-540-74657-7.
  7. ^ a b Lautemann, Kerstin; Leonhard, Martin; Stern, Regina; Heda, Jennifer (2014). "Chapter 264: Instrumentation for Arthroscopy and Sports Medicine". In Doral, M.N.; Karlsson, J. (eds.). Sports Injuries: Prevention, Diagnosis, Treatment and Rehabilitation (2nd ed.). Berlin: Springer Berlin. pp. 3273–3291. ISBN 978-3-642-36568-3.
  8. ^ "Karl Storz Endoscopy-America, Inc.: Private Company Information". Bloomberg. Retrieved 23 October 2017.
  9. ^ Careless, James (June–July 2015). "Today's Cutting-Edge Borescopes: A Sampling of What's Available" (PDF). Aviation Maintenance.
  10. ^ "KARL STORZ Endoscopy Canada Ltd". September 7, 2020.
  11. ^ a b Möllers, Ludger (9 December 2012). "Karl Storz: Schwäbischer Pionier und Firmengründer". Schwäbische.de (in German). Archived from the original on 6 July 2015.
  12. ^ a b "Preisträgerin 2006: Sybill Storz" [Prize winner 2006: Sybill Storz]. Konrad-Adenauer-Stiftung (in German). Konrad-Adenauer-Stiftung.
  13. ^ Ludger Möllers: „Mit Begeisterung und Fleiß!“ at archive.today (archived 2014-01-24). In: Schwäbische Zeitung vom 10. Mai 2012, Artikelanfang.   Firmenmuseum und Mitmachmuseum. In: karlstorz.com, aufgerufen am 26. April 2016.
  14. ^ Ong, Matthew Bin Han (21 July 2017). "Anti-morcellation advocate files "wrongful death" suit against Karl Storz and Brigham & Women's Hospital". The Cancer Letter.
  15. ^ "Press Release: KARL STORZ decides for future-looking legal form". KARL STORZ. 20 August 2017.
  16. ^ missing?
  17. ^ "Tuttlingen: Karl Storz: Schwäbischer Pionier und Firmengründer". 2015-07-06. Archived from the original on 6 July 2015. Retrieved 2022-08-29.
  18. ^ "wvib - wirtschaftsverband industrieller unternehmen in baden e. V. - Mitgliedsunternehmen". 2020-05-13. Archived from the original on 13 May 2020. Retrieved 2022-08-29.
  19. ^ Jansen, Matthias (2021-09-12). "Mehr als 20 Millionen Euro: Arbeiten am Karl-Storz-Campus laufen" [More than 20 million euros: Work on the Karl Storz Campus is underway]. www.schwaebische.de (in German). Retrieved 2024-09-11.
  20. ^ "Karl Storz entwickelt Einweg-Endoskop" [Karl Storz develops one-way endoscope]. www.schwaebische.de (in German). 2018-11-13. Retrieved 2024-09-11.
  21. ^ Dörnfelder, Die Redaktion u Andreas (2012-03-16). "Karl Storz baut Logistikzentrum" [Karl Storz builds logistics center]. www.econo.de (in German). Retrieved 2024-09-11.
  22. ^ Dörffeldt*, Iris (2024-01-12). "Deutsche Reinraumtechnologie für Smart Factory in Estland". DeviceMed (in German). Retrieved 2024-09-11.
  23. ^ "Deutsche Reinraumtechnologie für Smart Factory in Estland | CHEManager" [German cleanroom technology for smart factory in Estonia]. www.chemanager-online.com. Retrieved 2024-09-11.
  24. ^ "KARL STORZ unifies its US organizations under a central management team, Sonal Matai named US President". BusinessWire. 2024-02-06. Retrieved 2024-09-11.
  25. ^ "KARL STORZ and Fujifilm Announce Strategic Relationship to Transform Endoscopy". BusinessWire. 2024-08-26. Retrieved 2024-09-11.
  26. ^ "AventaMed, a KARL STORZ Company, Gains FDA Clearance for Solo+™ Ear-Tube Placement Device". BusinessWire. 2024-08-06. Retrieved 2024-09-11.
  27. ^ "KARL STORZ Acquires British AI Specialist Innersight Labs". BusinessWire. 2024-01-10. Retrieved 2024-09-11.
  28. ^ "KARL STORZ Acquires British AI Specialist Innersight Labs". BioSpace. 2024-01-10. Retrieved 2024-09-11.
  29. ^ Brusco, Sam (2024-07-06). "Asensus Surgical to Merge with KARL STORZ". Medical Product Outsourcing. Retrieved 2024-09-11.
  30. ^ "Asensus Surgical Announces Closing of Acquisition by KARL STORZ". GlobeNewswire News Room. 2024-08-22. Retrieved 2024-09-11.
  31. ^ "KARL STORZ IMAGE 1 SPIES Named Innovation of the Year by Society of Laparoendoscopic Surgeons". BusinessWire. 2014-12-23.

Further reading

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