Wright Medical Group concentrates operations in Amsterdam Area
Further strengthening its organisational focus in the Amsterdam Metropolitan Area, Wright Medical Technology is moving French operations to its EMEA headquarters in Amstelveen, the Netherlands.
International distribution Amsterdam
By the end of 2009, Wright Medical Group aims to have its distribution and support facilities moved from the French market to its EMEA (Europe, the Middle East and Africa) headquarters in Amstelveen, part of the Amsterdam Metropolitan Area. They are now in Créteil, in the region of Paris, France. International distribution is located in Amstelveen. Paul Kosters, President of Wright Medical EMEA, explains, "We’ll eliminate one step in the process by directly supplying French customers."
The designer, manufacturer and worldwide distributor of orthopedic implants and instrumentation from Arlington, Tennessee (US) moved its EMEA headquarters and international distribution to the Amsterdam Area five years ago. That was part of a strategic reorientation. A production facility in Toulon, France was closed. R&D moved to Milan, Italy. Production is now concentrated in the United States to benefit from the economies of scale. Koster: "Amsterdam functions as a warehouse to service our markets."
Pioneering shared service centre
The transfer of French operations to Amstelveen might well be a first step towards further organisational integration. Koster: "We are pioneering a shared service model. Germany could be a next step." In Europe alone, Wright Medical sells its artificial hips, knees, ankles and other implants to nearly 30 different countries. Head office coordinates local sales, marketing and logistical networks. Consequently, they need to take into account differences in scale of these markets and their proximity to the Amsterdam Area. Koster: "It is cost efficient to integrate our French facilities for instance, but not our Italian ones."
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