das magazin / 16 一月

We think globally.

Efficient processes, multicultural teams, sustainable growth.

The L&R Group is at home on all five continents. Its global presence is the result of a systematic globalisation strategy that L&R’s Executive Board has been consistently implementing as part of its corporate strategy, which is also the basis of its 2020 Strategy. Lohmann & Rauscher has always been an international company and was in fact founded through the merger of two long-established companies based in two different countries – Austria and Germany – in 1998. In the years following the merger, L&R grew to become the globally acting L&R Group thanks to organic growth, strategic partnerships and acquisitions. People.Health.Care.

The L&R Group’s expansion and acquisition strategy is based on balance and moderation. As Wolfgang Süßle, CEO of the L&R Group, explained: “We want to grow, but not at all costs. And we have consistently remained loyal to this principle throughout our history as a group. The new members of our corporate group, such as our Australian, Tunisian, US and Dutch companies, are testimony to the effectiveness of this approach to achieving successful integration. We are also planning to expand our potential even more in future in order to be able to continue driving forward our internationalisation at this rate. As part of this strategy, we are also further refining our already efficient processes to create the best possible conditions for future sustained growth.”

Our internationalisation strategy and associated projects always focus on generating benefits for customers, business partners and patients. Within that context, L&R launched nine new products, such as the Suprasorb CNP P3 System, Debrisoft 2.0 and XL pads, as well as Sentina Single-use instruments, in the first half of 2018 alone. This achievement clearly demonstrates that the way we communicate with users and patients is working extremely well.

According to Holger Mägdefrau, Managing Director, “We listen, ask questions and meet customers at the exact point they are at. When doing so, we draw on our multicultural experience and check whether there are any treatments, procedures and product ranges that we are already using that we can adapt and apply in a way that will meet regional requirements. If not, we will always develop new approaches that are specifically tailored to the relevant regional needs associated with the customer and the market they are operating in. We may be a global player, but are only able to claim that title because of our attention to detail at local level. In doing so, we bring together the best of both of these worlds and pass on these benefits to our customers. We furthermore attend all international trade fairs and in 2018 alone will be attending the EWMA in Krakow, the Arab Health in Dubai, the Africa Health in Johannesburg, the SAWC in Charlotte, USA, and the WCET in Kuala Lumpur. These trade fairs are perfect business platforms for staying in touch with and exchanging information with customers and experts in the field.”

We sometimes consider the Netherlands our test market for balancing the demands posed by national particularities and the major sales markets such as the USA and DACH countries.« 

Ruth van Uden
Regional Manager
Netherlands

»Our exchange with our international colleagues makes us more open to new ways of thinking.«

Holger Mägdefrau
CFO

The acquisition and integration of Varitex in The Netherlands represents the achievement of a major milestone in the expansion of the L&R Group’s compression product range. Varitex has been developing, producing and marketing compression stockings under the brand of the same name, Varitex, since its foundation in 1947. Thanks to our subsequent acquisition of Venosan/Swisslastic in 2018, we, the L&R Group, are now able to offer a full range of compression products in many of our focus markets. 

Holger Mägdefrau: “One of the ways our customers gain from partnering with us is through the wide range of products and services we offer. That is, we offer solutions and concepts that cover all aspects of compression. We furthermore do so to an extent that is unparalleled elsewhere. The wide range of products we offer, as well as our services and the on-site support we provide, are a great competitive advantage for us.“ 

Ruth van Uden: “We operate at international level, which means that our teams’ and our Group’s horizons are constantly being expanded and that we are constantly being kept on our toes. It allows us to learn from different people and cultures, but also means that we have to deal with different laws and regulatory requirements. As a result, we are in ongoing dialogue – with our multicultural teams, users and patients – at all times.”

»We don’t just evaluate our expansion plans by today’s figures, but also by future prospects.«

Wolfgang Süßle
CEO /CCO

»Providing an entire continent with L&R products is no mean feat.«

Michele Buckley
Product Manager
Australia

Two years ago, the L&R Group set up a subsidiary in Melbourne and founded L&R New Zealand. These acquisitions also marked the point at which the Group set up its own sales division in the region, thanks to which it is now also being represented on the fifth continent. After having been represented on the Australian and New Zealand markets by distributors for some years, the company is now focusing on the hospital business, modern and classical wound care products, dressings, bandages & compression, OR clothing and drapes as well as Suprasorb CNP. 

Wolfgang Süßle: “Although we are living in an increasingly global world, there are a lot of things, especially within the healthcare sector, that are still strongly defined by regional structures, and these can differ significantly from market to market. This is why our international teams, the experience we gain in the relevant markets and the powerful support provided by the international L&R Group are so important.” 

Michele Buckley: “We started off as genuine pioneers, because the objective of establishing the L&R Group and its products and solutions in a virtually completely new market is highly ambitious. However, our first successes are speaking for themselves. We have the full support of the Executive Board and of all of the teams with respect to this longterm objective, because it is important to us as a Group to launch and establish our strong brands in the best way possible in any new markets and to expand our portfolio.”

»Our product range, which includes gauze dressings as well as complex negative pressure therapy products, allows us to offer the exact products needed in a market anywhere in the world.«

Thomas Menitz
COO

»In many parts of the world, there is a great need for creating standards, to which L&R products can make a significant contribution.«

Redouane Si Larbi
Trainer/Consultant
Algeria

The L&R Group has greatly expanded its presence in North Africa and is now represented in Tunisia, Algeria and Morocco.

This expansion is the result of the company’s systematic implementation of its strategy to further expand and strengthen local teams, organisations and markets. 

Thomas Menitz: “We want to get to know the relevant markets even better still in order to be able to perfectly respond to local conditions. However, the challenges we are faced with vary significantly: Germany and Europe have a well-developed healthcare sector. And that’s easy to see just by the high standard health care and production technologies available in this market. The standards in Asia, Russia and the Middle East, on the other hand, vary widely. And this is where we have to develop working solutions in cooperation with local experts.”

Redouane Si Labri: “I am impressed by the capacities that L&R reserves for training. The Maghreb states in particular have distinct and regionally-specific structures. The L&R Academy and our trainers on site allow us to offer L&R product training courses during which attendees are shown how to properly use our products and where they can practice using them.”