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Following Enovis’ acquisition of LimaCorporate, the company is on pace for $1 billion in annual reconstructive sales. With much excitement from the Lima acquisition, Enovis is aligning a series of innovative offerings to leverage its new scale in fast-growing markets.
To learn more about the opportunities before the company, we spoke to Louie Vogt, Enovis, Group President, Reconstructive. Our conversation covered the AltiVate Reverse Glenoid system launch, the need for technology in shoulder surgery and Enovis’ cultural touchstones.
Our discussion is excerpted below, edited for clarity and length.
What excites you most about the AltiVate Reverse Glenoid System?
Mr. Vogt: The reverse glenoid is a big expansion of the aperture of pathologies that we can cover in the glenoid. The AltiVate system has been so successful for many reasons, but one of the key elements has been our proprietary monoblock base plate design. The fixation is second to none, and it’s very bone-sparing.
As shoulder replacement has become more widespread, revisions and bone loss have become more prevalent. With our monoblock baseplate design, treating patients with some of these more advanced pathologies was a challenge. We took a step back and reconsidered all the things that we needed to accomplish with a next generation system and came to the realization that we needed the ability to take on these more advanced bone loss cases in a very efficient way. It was also very important to us to preserve our philosophy of rock-solid fixation while minimizing the amount of bone that needs to be removed, two hallmarks of our legacy baseplate. The new AltiVate Reverse Glenoid baseplate is the next great leap for us with glenoid solutions.
We’re also adding some new glenosphere sizes and shapes. Clinically and from a patient satisfaction standpoint, this is a very meaningful expansion. The new spheres will provide our surgeons additional options to balance the shoulder with the broadest range of lateralization options paired with a 135-degree neck shaft angle on the humeral side. This combination allows surgeons to optimize the tension on the deltoid and rotator cuff in the most anatomic way and maximize range of motion for the patient. We believe that the new baseplates and glenospheres, combined with the options we continue to offer, allow surgeons to take on bone pathology challenges in a very innovative way and manage the soft tissues in the most “anatomic” reverse TSA reconstruction you can get.
What is the rollout plan?
Mr. Vogt: We have a lot of demand from existing and new customers who are very excited to implement these new technologies. However, we pride ourselves on surgeon-centric innovation, and what’s always most important for us is putting patient safety first with responsible innovation. We’re diligently working through an evaluation period to ensure everything works perfectly before we hit the gas. Right now, we’re in the phase where it’s just in our designers’ and our evaluators’ hands.
When we cross into the next phase, probably later in the quarter, we’ll expand to a broader audience and we can’t wait to start making a great impact clinically and advancing patient care as we go. By the time we reach Academy (AAOS), we really look to go full throttle with the system.
How has the shoulder market changed in recent years?
Mr. Vogt: One of the biggest changes has been the market shift to reverse shoulder arthroplasty. This trend has been happening for a long time, but more and more surgeons are trusting reverse shoulder arthroplasty as the initial procedure for a lot of reasons. The biggest reason being that the indications have continued to expand as the data shows great clinical outcomes, and it’s to the point now where reverse TSA is the dominant portion of the market.
We were the original lateralized reverse shoulder. We did it in a unique way and for many years faced a lot of scrutiny. Over time our innovation and clinical results spoke for themselves, and we’ve seen the convergence of a lot of our original features with competitive brands take shape. That’s very flattering to us and it allows us to build on the great legacy that we’ve already created.
As discussed earlier, revision and bone loss has been a major trend and will continue to be a major trend as shoulders get more popular and more people need revisions. I think enabling technologies will play a big role in the future. We’ve had great initial success with our limited launch of our cost effective and highly accurate augmented/mixed reality platform, ARVIS. I’ve got to be careful with being too candid about what we’re doing in this space, but we have a great strategy driven by the best surgeon thought leaders in the industry with a unique approach.
We think that data, computational statistics, and prediction will give us new insights and pave the way to drive our mission of creating better together. Execution tools like navigation, augmented reality, smart tools, haptics and robotics all have exciting futures.
The final thing is the march toward the ASC. This is more recent, but it’s been happening quickly with our business. In the six months since approval, we’ve seen our sales mix in the ASC more than double compared to the prior six months. We expected a big shift, but I’m not sure we even expected it to go quite as fast as it’s gone. Our system is naturally geared for the ASC with minimal trays and instrumentation, and that’s really helped our success.
How has the integration of LimaCorporate impacted Enovis’ shoulder business?
Mr. Vogt: Lima has a brilliant shoulder portfolio with leading brands like the SMR system and the PRIMA system, and great transformational technologies like ProMade and Trabecular Titanium. Our market share and brand awareness were immediately propelled on day one, and we’re opening new doors and opportunities like never before.
With big acquisitions come new challenges, but M&A has been a staple of our growth composition, and our leading EGX (Enovis Growth Excellence) business system is tailored to ensure success with all elements. Culturally we’re a wonderful fit and the new talent, new capabilities and synergies across the organization are very exciting. We’re ahead of schedule across the board and I’m grateful for the powerful leaders we have around the world making everything come together.
We’ve finished our global sales channel structuring, and the back half of the year is really getting focused on growth in a major way and using the new players we have on the team to get comfortable, well-trained and clinically efficient to ignite the offense and go hard.
How will Enovis’ recon business maintain its entrepreneurial spirit as it approaches $1 billion in annual sales?
Mr. Vogt: Culture and our entrepreneurial spirit are some of the things that make us great. Talent wins, or as we say, “the best team wins.” We recruit talent who believe in that philosophy and who can operate successfully in that environment. It leads to a culture where we have a lot of similar values and norms and standards and high performance expectations from all of us. When you win in that sort of environment, it feels really good. And we need to have fun doing it. Lima couldn’t have been any better for us. It’s unbelievable how symbiotic our relationship has been, and it’s allowed us to plow through challenges and do a lot of problem solving really fast.
We’ve locked arms strategically. I’m so proud of the people around the world for coming together and the work that they’re doing. We feel bigger and stronger than ever, and we both realize that if we become slow and overly complicated or bureaucratic, then we lose one of the key elements of our success. It’s one of the ways that we’re “different by design,” and that’s a strategic advantage. That’s not just with implants or technology, but with how we engage surgeons and how we train and educate on the safe and efficacious use of our products through medical education and training. It’s how we interact with our sales partners. It’s how our teams make things happen. That level of high-touch service we offer is something that surgeons cherish. It’s one of the things that’s on the top of my list, frankly. I’m very sensitive about making sure that as we grow and we grow rapidly, we don’t lose sight of that.
Following Enovis’ acquisition of LimaCorporate, the company is on pace for $1 billion in annual reconstructive sales. With much excitement from the Lima acquisition, Enovis is aligning a series of innovative offerings to leverage its new scale in fast-growing markets.
To learn more about the opportunities before the company, we spoke to...
Following Enovis’ acquisition of LimaCorporate, the company is on pace for $1 billion in annual reconstructive sales. With much excitement from the Lima acquisition, Enovis is aligning a series of innovative offerings to leverage its new scale in fast-growing markets.
To learn more about the opportunities before the company, we spoke to Louie Vogt, Enovis, Group President, Reconstructive. Our conversation covered the AltiVate Reverse Glenoid system launch, the need for technology in shoulder surgery and Enovis’ cultural touchstones.
Our discussion is excerpted below, edited for clarity and length.
What excites you most about the AltiVate Reverse Glenoid System?
Mr. Vogt: The reverse glenoid is a big expansion of the aperture of pathologies that we can cover in the glenoid. The AltiVate system has been so successful for many reasons, but one of the key elements has been our proprietary monoblock base plate design. The fixation is second to none, and it’s very bone-sparing.
As shoulder replacement has become more widespread, revisions and bone loss have become more prevalent. With our monoblock baseplate design, treating patients with some of these more advanced pathologies was a challenge. We took a step back and reconsidered all the things that we needed to accomplish with a next generation system and came to the realization that we needed the ability to take on these more advanced bone loss cases in a very efficient way. It was also very important to us to preserve our philosophy of rock-solid fixation while minimizing the amount of bone that needs to be removed, two hallmarks of our legacy baseplate. The new AltiVate Reverse Glenoid baseplate is the next great leap for us with glenoid solutions.
We’re also adding some new glenosphere sizes and shapes. Clinically and from a patient satisfaction standpoint, this is a very meaningful expansion. The new spheres will provide our surgeons additional options to balance the shoulder with the broadest range of lateralization options paired with a 135-degree neck shaft angle on the humeral side. This combination allows surgeons to optimize the tension on the deltoid and rotator cuff in the most anatomic way and maximize range of motion for the patient. We believe that the new baseplates and glenospheres, combined with the options we continue to offer, allow surgeons to take on bone pathology challenges in a very innovative way and manage the soft tissues in the most “anatomic” reverse TSA reconstruction you can get.
What is the rollout plan?
Mr. Vogt: We have a lot of demand from existing and new customers who are very excited to implement these new technologies. However, we pride ourselves on surgeon-centric innovation, and what’s always most important for us is putting patient safety first with responsible innovation. We’re diligently working through an evaluation period to ensure everything works perfectly before we hit the gas. Right now, we’re in the phase where it’s just in our designers’ and our evaluators’ hands.
When we cross into the next phase, probably later in the quarter, we’ll expand to a broader audience and we can’t wait to start making a great impact clinically and advancing patient care as we go. By the time we reach Academy (AAOS), we really look to go full throttle with the system.
How has the shoulder market changed in recent years?
Mr. Vogt: One of the biggest changes has been the market shift to reverse shoulder arthroplasty. This trend has been happening for a long time, but more and more surgeons are trusting reverse shoulder arthroplasty as the initial procedure for a lot of reasons. The biggest reason being that the indications have continued to expand as the data shows great clinical outcomes, and it’s to the point now where reverse TSA is the dominant portion of the market.
We were the original lateralized reverse shoulder. We did it in a unique way and for many years faced a lot of scrutiny. Over time our innovation and clinical results spoke for themselves, and we’ve seen the convergence of a lot of our original features with competitive brands take shape. That’s very flattering to us and it allows us to build on the great legacy that we’ve already created.
As discussed earlier, revision and bone loss has been a major trend and will continue to be a major trend as shoulders get more popular and more people need revisions. I think enabling technologies will play a big role in the future. We’ve had great initial success with our limited launch of our cost effective and highly accurate augmented/mixed reality platform, ARVIS. I’ve got to be careful with being too candid about what we’re doing in this space, but we have a great strategy driven by the best surgeon thought leaders in the industry with a unique approach.
We think that data, computational statistics, and prediction will give us new insights and pave the way to drive our mission of creating better together. Execution tools like navigation, augmented reality, smart tools, haptics and robotics all have exciting futures.
The final thing is the march toward the ASC. This is more recent, but it’s been happening quickly with our business. In the six months since approval, we’ve seen our sales mix in the ASC more than double compared to the prior six months. We expected a big shift, but I’m not sure we even expected it to go quite as fast as it’s gone. Our system is naturally geared for the ASC with minimal trays and instrumentation, and that’s really helped our success.
How has the integration of LimaCorporate impacted Enovis’ shoulder business?
Mr. Vogt: Lima has a brilliant shoulder portfolio with leading brands like the SMR system and the PRIMA system, and great transformational technologies like ProMade and Trabecular Titanium. Our market share and brand awareness were immediately propelled on day one, and we’re opening new doors and opportunities like never before.
With big acquisitions come new challenges, but M&A has been a staple of our growth composition, and our leading EGX (Enovis Growth Excellence) business system is tailored to ensure success with all elements. Culturally we’re a wonderful fit and the new talent, new capabilities and synergies across the organization are very exciting. We’re ahead of schedule across the board and I’m grateful for the powerful leaders we have around the world making everything come together.
We’ve finished our global sales channel structuring, and the back half of the year is really getting focused on growth in a major way and using the new players we have on the team to get comfortable, well-trained and clinically efficient to ignite the offense and go hard.
How will Enovis’ recon business maintain its entrepreneurial spirit as it approaches $1 billion in annual sales?
Mr. Vogt: Culture and our entrepreneurial spirit are some of the things that make us great. Talent wins, or as we say, “the best team wins.” We recruit talent who believe in that philosophy and who can operate successfully in that environment. It leads to a culture where we have a lot of similar values and norms and standards and high performance expectations from all of us. When you win in that sort of environment, it feels really good. And we need to have fun doing it. Lima couldn’t have been any better for us. It’s unbelievable how symbiotic our relationship has been, and it’s allowed us to plow through challenges and do a lot of problem solving really fast.
We’ve locked arms strategically. I’m so proud of the people around the world for coming together and the work that they’re doing. We feel bigger and stronger than ever, and we both realize that if we become slow and overly complicated or bureaucratic, then we lose one of the key elements of our success. It’s one of the ways that we’re “different by design,” and that’s a strategic advantage. That’s not just with implants or technology, but with how we engage surgeons and how we train and educate on the safe and efficacious use of our products through medical education and training. It’s how we interact with our sales partners. It’s how our teams make things happen. That level of high-touch service we offer is something that surgeons cherish. It’s one of the things that’s on the top of my list, frankly. I’m very sensitive about making sure that as we grow and we grow rapidly, we don’t lose sight of that.
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Mike Evers is a Senior Market Analyst and writer with over 15 years of experience in the medical industry, spanning cardiac rhythm management, ER coding and billing, and orthopedics. He joined ORTHOWORLD in 2018, where he provides market analysis and editorial coverage.
