Medical device companies in Wisconsin are emerging as one of the state’s most dynamic industry sectors, with the potential to become a key driver of the state’s exports.
According to SelectUSA, a US government effort to facilitate business investment, the US medical device market is worth around $110 billion and is expected to grow to $133 billion by 2016.
Wisconsin has a high concentration of medical device companies, with leaders such as Wauwatosa-based GE Healthcare and Milwaukee-based Mortara Instrument Inc., as well as a slew of smaller firms, all riding the sector’s second surge.
Overview of Medical Device Companies in Wisconsin
According to federal export data provided by the Wisconsin Economic Development Corp., medical and scientific instruments are Wisconsin’s second-largest export commodity. In 2014, medical device companies in Wisconsin exported $2.17 billion in this category, accounting for 9.3 percent of total state exports.
This represents an 18% increase over 2009 when medical and scientific instrument exports totaled $1.84 billion.
According to Lee Swindall, vice president of business and industry development for the WEDC, the medical device sector’s first growth spurt occurred between 1985 and 1990, when it experienced a powerful burst of innovation.
The industry’s second ascent began in the early 2000s and is still ongoing, fueled by investment – and reinvestment – in the development of better, more effective technology.
Medical device companies in Wisconsin contribute to the state’s economy through employment, exports, and research, in addition to developing innovations. Even though these businesses face challenges and must address trends, most agree that the sector will only grow.
A prominent employer
According to a 2014 report from the nonprofit research and development organization Battelle and the Biotechnology Industry Organization, Wisconsin has a 50% higher concentration of specialized employment in medical device manufacturing than the national average.
According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Wisconsin’s medical device sector employed 13,073 people in 2013, a 13% increase from a decade earlier.
According to the Battelle/BIO report, the Milwaukee/Madison region ranks seventh in the nation for medical device employment. The Milwaukee market has 6,745 medical device jobs, with an average annual wage of $84,177.
GE Healthcare, which has its U.S. headquarters in Wauwatosa, is one of the state’s largest employers. It employs approximately 6,000 people in Wauwatosa, Waukesha, Milwaukee, and Madison, and over 50,000 people worldwide. According to Rob Reilly, the company’s chief marketing officer, GE Healthcare is also directly or indirectly responsible for one out of every 132 jobs in Wisconsin through its supply base.
Mortara Instrument, a designer, developer, and manufacturer of non-invasive cardiology devices and technologies, is another company with a strong local presence. Mortara employs 202 people in Milwaukee, 80 more across the country, and 110 internationally.
Mortara is currently hiring for 11 positions in the United States and expects to hire an additional 50 people in the next two to three years.
According to the North American Industry Classification System, Mortara and GE Healthcare are in the electromedical and electrotherapeutic apparatus manufacturing industry. According to the BLS, the industry, which specializes in products such as electrocardiographs, pacemakers, and hearing aids, provided 1,263 Wisconsin jobs in 2013.
GE Healthcare is also a part of the irradiation apparatus manufacturing industry, which employed the most people in Wisconsin in 2013 with 4,494 jobs. Wisconsin employs 34% of the nation’s workforce in that industry, and the state’s concentration of these jobs is 16 times higher than the national average.
Wisconsin exported $347.64 million of these products to China in 2014, an increase of 84% from 2009 and 7% from 2013.
According to Reilly, the state’s top exporter is GE Healthcare, which exports $1.5 billion in products to more than 100 countries each year. According to him, GE Healthcare, directly and indirectly, accounts for $3.8 billion in economic activity in the state, with the company accounting for one dollar for every $60 or so in the state’s economy.
Furthermore, GE Healthcare has approximately 1,000 Wisconsin-based suppliers with whom it makes more than $400 million in annual purchases, including approximately $100 million with more than 150 small business suppliers.
Mortara has distribution agreements in place to sell in every major international market, with approximately 40% of total sales occurring outside of the United States.
A developing industry
According to the WEDC and the companies, several factors are contributing to the current growth of the medical device sector in Wisconsin.
According to Swindall, there is an aggressive push from medical providers and insurers for innovation, efficiency, and effectiveness in medical device applications. This need has grown in the last three years and will continue to grow in the next three to five years.
Other factors driving growth, he says, include an aging population eager for innovations and an increase in nanotechnology applications for diagnosis, monitoring, and treatment.
Mortara, the world’s second-largest provider of electrocardiogram (ECG) devices, is one example of a Milwaukee company experiencing rapid growth.
According to Mortara, it has more than doubled in size over the last five years in terms of employees and sales, and it is growing at a rate of more than 10% per year.
Mortara’s 64,000-square-foot headquarters facility at 7865 N. 86th St., which houses administration, sales, marketing, service, engineering, and manufacturing, has reached capacity. Its other facility, a 50,000-square-foot facility at nearby 8220 W. Sleske Court, is also full and is used for additional manufacturing, shipping, and receiving.
As a result, the company is in the early stages of constructing a new facility that will serve as a centralized manufacturing hub. The structure, which could have up to 60,000 square feet of space, will be located at 8585 W. Bradley Road, which is also nearby.
Mortara does not yet have a completion date in mind, but he hopes to break ground this spring. The new structure is the latest in a long line of expansions for the company.
Mortara attributes his company’s growth to the fact that cardiovascular disease remains a significant health threat, as well as the leading cause of death in some countries.
Other growth drivers include an aging population and increased investment in healthcare systems outside of the United States. Mortara’s top growth markets right now are China, Brazil, and the Middle East.
The Revolution CT, a scanner that acquires high-quality images while using lower doses of radiation, is one of GE Healthcare’s newest products.
New businesses, innovations
The healthcare industry is completely reshaping itself. The Revolution CT, a scanner that produces high-quality images while using lower doses of radiation, is an example of one of GE Healthcare’s newest products that was designed, developed, and manufactured in Wisconsin.
While GE Healthcare is a household name, several new and lesser-known Milwaukee-area medical device companies are making rapid progress in the industry.
Somna Therapeutics LLC, based in Germantown, is one such example, having begun selling its REZA BAND UES Assist Device in approximately ten countries in March.
Medical device companies in Wisconsin
This article highlights our top picks for the best medical device companies in Wisconsin. These companies are approaching medical device innovation in a variety of ways, but they are all exceptional companies worth following.
- AccessAbility Home Medical
Address: 1995 E Norse Ave Cudahy, WI 53110
Phone: 414-486-6249/414-727-2525
Toll-Free: (844) 837-2869
- Accuray Inc (Mfg & Ops Bldg)
Website: Click here
Address: 1240 Deming Way Madison, WI 53717-1954 USA
Tel: +1.608.824.2800
Fax: +1.608.824.2996
- Ad-Tech Medical Instruments
Website: Click here
Address: 400 WEST OAKVIEW PARKWAY OAK CREEK, WI 53154 USA
Toll-Free: 800-776-1555
Phone: 262-634-1555
Fax: 262-634-5668
- Advasaf LLC
Address: 280 Regency Ct, Suite 401 Brookfield, WI 53045 USA
Email: [email protected]
- Aero Medical Products
Website: Click here
Address: 2230 Stonebridge Rd, West Bend, WI 53095, United States
Phone: 1.262.305.4247
Sales: 1.262.305.4247
Email [email protected]
- Agiliti
Website: Click here
Address: 5810 Manufacturers Dr, Madison, WI 53704, United States
Phone: +1 608-241-3801
- Atos Medical
Address: 2801 South Moorland Road New Berlin, WI 53151-3743
Ph: +1 800 217 0025
Fax: +1 414 227 9033
Email: [email protected]
- Axcesor Inc
Website: Click here
Address: W134N5345 Campbell Drive Menomonee Falls, WI 53051
Phone: 262-375-7530
1-888-717-1471
- Biomedical Solutions
Website: Click here
Address: 220 South Business Park Drive Suite # A1, Oostburg, WI 53070, United States
Phone: +1 877-668-6609
Email: [email protected]
- Cardiac Science Corporation
Address: 500 Burdick Pkwy, Deerfield, WI 53531, United States
Phone: 978 421-9440 Direct
800 348-9011 Toll-free (US)
866-442-1011 Toll-free (Canada)
Fax: 978 421-0015 Fax
E-mail: [email protected]
- Delta Medical Systems
Address: 3280 Gateway Road, Suite 200 Brookfield, WI 53045
Phone: 800-798-7574
Fax: 800-323-9321
- Direct Supply
Address: 7301 W Champions Way, Milwaukee, WI 53223, United States
Phone: +1 800-634-7328
- EirMed
Website: Click here
Address: 5120 Eagle Point Road Menomonie, WI 54751
Phone: (715) 639-1016
Fax: (715) 235-1834
- Gauthier Biomedical
Website: Click here
Address: 2221 Washington St, Grafton, WI 53024, United States
Phone: +1 866-546-0010
- GE Healthcare
Website: Click here
Address: 3030 Ohmeda Dr, Madison, WI 53718, United States
Phone: 1.800.437.1171/1.800.668.0732
- Hatch Medical Products
Phone: 414-383-3800
Toll-Free: 800-240-0005
Email: [email protected]
Fax: 414-383-3836
Address: 3915 W Greenfield Ave. Milwaukee, WI 53215
- Hudson Medical Innovations
Website: Click here
Address: 2251 Willis Miller Drive Hudson, WI 54016
Phone: 800.962.4719/715.338.3946
Fax: 715.386.3774
- InControl Medical LLC
Website: Click here
Phone: 1 (262) 373-0422
Address: 3225 Gateway Rd # 250, Brookfield, WI 53045, United States
- Innovative Medical Devices, Inc.
Website: Click here
Address: 8335 North Steven Road Milwaukee, WI 53223-3356
Phone: 414 371-7600
Fax: 414 371-7606
Toll-Free: 800 558-1611
Email: [email protected]
- Intech Kenosha
Website: Click here
Address: 10325 58th PlaceKenosha, WI 53144, USA
Phone: +1 (262) 925 1374
- Jim Medical
Website: Click here
Address: 1343 E. Wisconsin Ave Suite 112 Pewaukee, WI 53072
Phone: (866) 546-4276/(866) 329-4276
Fax: (262) 547-4276/(262) 547-0512
- Kinex Medical Company
Website: Click here
Address: 1801 Airport Road, Suite D Waukesha, WI 53188
Phone: 800 845 6364
Fax: 888 845 3342
- Lakeside Manufacturing, Inc.
Address: 4900 West Electric Avenue Milwaukee, WI
Toll-Free: (844) 906-2530
Phone: (414) 928-2581
Fax: (414) 902-6446
Email: [email protected]
- Lincare
Address: N8W22520 Johnson Dr, Waukesha, WI 53186, United States
Phone: +1 262-312-3339
- Molecular Biology Resources
Website: Click here
Address: 6143 North 60th Street Milwaukee, WI, USA 53218-1606
Email: [email protected]
Phone: 800.626.7873
- Natus Medical Incorporated
Address: 3150 Pleasant View Road Middleton, WI 53562, USA
Tel.: +1 608 829 8500
Fax: +1 608 829 8775
Toll Free: +1 800 356 0007
- NeuWave Medical
Address: 3529 Anderson St, Madison, WI 53704, United States
Phone: +1 608-512-1500
Email: [email protected]
- Nolato Contour Inc
Website: Click here
Address: 660 VandeBerg Street Baldwin, WI 54002, USA
Phone: +1 715 684 46 14
- NorthStar Medical Radioisotopes, LLC
Address: 1800 Gateway Boulevard Beloit, WI 53511
Phone: (844) GET-MOLY
Phone: (608) 313-8000
- Phillips-Medisize
Address: 2930 Mondovi Rd.n Eau Claire, WI 54701
Tel: +1-877-508-0252
- Plas-Tech Engineering
Website: Click here
Address: 875 Geneva Parkway N. Lake Geneva, WI 53147 U.S.A.
Billing address: P.O. Box 777 Lake Geneva, WI 53147
Phone: 262-248-2379
Fax: 262-248 2289
e-mail: [email protected]
- RF Technologies
Phone: (800) 669-9946
Fax: (262) 790-1784
Email: [email protected]
Address: 3125 N 126th St Brookfield, WI 53005
- RPRD Diagnostics
Address: 1225 DISCOVERY PARKWAY MILWAUKEE WI, 53226
Phone: +1 (414) 316.3097
Website: [email protected]
- Sanmina Corporation
Address: 300 Industrial Avenue Turtle Lake, WI 54889 United States
Phone: 1 715 986 4407
Fax: 1 715 986 4406
- Tecovan
Address: W67 N250 Evergreen Blvd Cedarburg, WI 53012
Email: [email protected]
Phone: (262)292-2060
- TIDI Products
Website: Click here
Address: 570 Enterprise Drive Neenah, WI 54956 USA
Phone: +1 920.751.4300
Fax: +1 920.751.4370
- Trinity Precision Solutions, Inc.
Address: W175 N5750 Technology Dr Menomonee Falls, WI 53051
Email: [email protected]
Phone: 262-252-4786
- Vector Surgical LLC
Phone: +1 (262) 798-7970
Fax: +1 (262) 798-7972
Address: 20975 Swenson Drive, Suite #430 Waukesha, WI 53186
- Wisconsin Medical Supplies
Website: Click here
Address; 2020 Prairie Ln, Eau Claire, WI 54703, United States
Phone: +1 715-257-4340
Email: [email protected]
FAQs about Medical device companies in Wisconsin
The answers to the most asked questions about the medical device companies in Wisconsin can be seen below;
- What is the export rate of the medical device companies in Wisconsin?
According to federal export data provided by the Wisconsin Economic Development Corp., medical and scientific instruments are Wisconsin’s second-largest export commodity.
In 2014, medical device companies in Wisconsin exported $2.17 billion in this category, accounting for 9.3 percent of total state exports. This represents an 18% increase over 2009 when medical and scientific instrument exports totaled $1.84 billion.
- What’s the employment rate of medical device companies in Wisconsin?
Wisconsin has a 50% higher concentration of specialized employment in medical device manufacturing than the national average.
According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Wisconsin’s medical device sector employed 13,073 people in 2013, a 13% increase from a decade earlier.
- Which region is ranked high in medical device employment in Wisconsin?
The Milwaukee/Madison region ranks seventh in the nation for medical device employment. The Milwaukee market has 6,745 medical device jobs, with an average annual wage of $84,177.
- What are the top medical device companies in Wisconsin?
GE Healthcare and Mortara are the top medical device companies in Wisconsin.
Conclusion on the Medical Device Companies in Wisconsin
According to reports, the medical device companies in Wisconsin will continue to grow. For starters, the United States spent $2.9 trillion on health care in 2013, with an additional $8 trillion spent globally.
The medical device companies in Wisconsin are already in an industry that accounts for 20% of the economy, and it will only grow with demographics over the next five to ten years.
Also, the industry accounts for 20% of the economy and has difficult problems to solve. That’s where they have to do their best. The medical device sector in Wisconsin is expected to grow tremendously.
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Chibueze Uchegbu is a certified medical physiologist with a great passion for healthy living.