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.
