Introduction
Synthes Inc is a Switzerland-based company that specializes in manufacture of innovative equipment, instruments and implants used for surgical treatment of bone disease and trauma (Synthes, 2010).
The company has established itself as a market leader and innovating company that specializes in the production and marketing of products for surgical fixation, correction, and regeneration of skeleton and related soft tissues (Synthes, 2010). The company has a partnership dealing with AO Foundation, where the two organizations collaborate in product development and manufacture.
The bedrock upon which success of Synthes Inc rests is innovation and adoption of appropriate technology in product development. Some of the competitors of the company include DePuy Company, Stryker Company and Zimmer Holdings, which also boost vast market niche (Synthes, 2010).
Should Synthes develop “bio-resorbable internal fixation devices?
Synthes Inc has undoubtedly grown into a vast company that manufactures and distributes internal fixation devices. Currently, Synthes Inc has a market share of about 50% and remains a leader in many regions of America and Northern America (Synthes, 2010). The decision to venture into manufacture of bio-resorbable internal fixation is a risky undertaking that everybody wants to be cautious and strategic in decision making.
The presence of potential market is overshadowed by fear, uncertainty, and hold-back attitude. But can Synthes Inc embrace this risk? The market for bio-resorbable products in America and Europe is promising. In 2000, it is estimated that there were six million fractures in the United States, whereby, 80% constituted adults while 20% constituted children (Gourville, 2002).
At the same time, the potential of the market is exhibited in the growing number of key players’ making investment opportunities in the market.
For example, there are three categories of players who have established their presence in the market: heavy weights such Johnson & Johnson; the specialist such as the Bionx and Macropore; and the potentials such as Smith and Nephew (Gourville, 2002). One aspect that guides these investors involves existence of potential and market prospects in the market.
At the same time, Synthes Inc has developed some core critical aspects that can aid the company into success, if it was to adopt manufacture and market of bio-resorbable. The company has established a close working relationship with surgeons and other specialists, which makes it possible to tailor-make bio-resorbable equipment that meets the desire of surgeons more appropriate.
In the past, surgeons have pointed to the lack of function of bio-resorbable devices, since did not meet requirements and needs of practitioners. Close work relationship and interaction with practitioners is likely to enable the company to capture the needs of customers than other competitors, and as such, have the ability to excel faster than competitors.
Another strength that the company possesses, which in turn makes it necessary to venture into bio-resorbable market, has to do with presence of high skilled and dedicated research and development team. R&D remains the bastion upon which innovation of market-moving products rests.
R&D team possesses the ability to develop products that have ability to meet customer needs in the most appropriate ways. Given its past experience, Synthes Inc has put in place one of the excellent R&D teams and can utilize the expertise of the team to venture in the development of bio-resorbable (Gourville, 2002).
Moreover, market experience in the use of bio-resorbable devices as evidenced through research appears promising, and exhibits potential for growth. Many surgeons and practitioners express the ability to use or have used bio-resorbable devices in the past and would in future have the desire to use it (Gourville, 2002).
The major areas the company can pay attention to in order to make this market experience increase positively include the key features that surgeons have proposed on the bio-resorbable devices.
Synthes Inc. on the other hand possess experience in the manufacture of generation-two bio-resorbable devices, and this very aspect gives the company an upper hand as compared to competitors who have had to start from scratch hence increased costs.
The established ties of cooperation and collaboration between Synthes Inc. and AO Foundation provides Synthes with opportunity to utilize AO Foundation market acumen experiences in education, product development, research and development, and sales force to penetrate the market (Gourville, 2002).
AO Foundation is a great asset to Synthes Inc., and this is an opportunity the company can utilize to exert an upper hand as compared to competitors.
What are the tradeoffs between the 4 options?
The first option Synthesis is to totally ignore the proposal to venture into the bio-resorbable market. This option may well sound cute, especially in terms of preserving resources on technologies that remain uncertain. The company may not realize loss in case the technology flops, and it would have acted wisely if the market acceptance for the technology was not appropriate.
But given that the future is unpredictable, Synthes Inc finds itself in dilemma. By totally disregarding the technology, Synthes will be giving its competitors an upper edge in the competition front, as the market become dynamic and saturated.
Future prospects exist in the market and it might just be a matter of time before new future grounds for competition shift to this technology. Therefore, Synthes cannot afford to ignore the opportunity to venture in this market.
Second option involves Synthes Inc adopting wait and see strategy, and let its competitors taste waters first. At the same time, adopting this strategy, Synthes will be able to save on costs pertaining to education and market advertisement and it will only venture when market already exists. The strategy may be appropriate if the company has a clear picture of competitors’ future strategic marketing and advertisement roadmap.
The competitors may taste waters first, and in the process, create a market niche that Synthes may find it difficult to unblock in future. In most cases, initial steps that sometimes include education and practical demonstrations usually endeavor a lot to customers and create long-lasting impression that subsequent latecomer competitors find hard to snatch away.
The third strategy for the company constitutes developing and marketing a line of bio-resorbable products using current available polymers. Through this, the company has the opportunity to develop a line of plates and screws designed specifically for fractures before gradually venturing into concrete market of bio-resorbable products.
Again, this strategy may be appropriate but its applicability and final maturation may take a long term, thereby giving competitors time and opportunity to progress. Further, resources in the long-run may be more as to when compared if the company was to venture directly into the technology.
The last strategy for Synthes involves turning efforts to more research and development of generation-3 bio-resorbable products. The strategy may be the most appropriate for the company given its established R&D team. At the same time, the company has for a long time succeeded in innovating products that satisfy market needs in the most appropriate way.
Further, having close associations with AO Foundation, Synthes research and development capabilities are likely to results into innovation of bio-resorbable products that for a long time may remain market leaders. Therefore, it is prudent for Synthes to adopt this strategy.
Synthes Inc influence on the development of bio-resorbable product market
Technology innovation is one area that market leaders exert their market dominance and subsequently influence the market (Gourville, 2002). Synthes Inc. has a large market presence estimated at 50% as compared to competitors. The company possesses some core values and elements that competitors lack.
At the same time, Synthes has an insightful research as to how market operates and behaves given its close presence and associations with key players in the market. In other words, Synthes Inc. interact with opinion leaders in the market.
The company has a combination of expertise, technology, resources and human capability, all of which endeavor the company to the market in the most powerful way than competitors.
Therefore, the presence of Synthes in the market, its subsequent activities in the market, its behavior with regard to technology adoption and later distribution of products for consumption are all likely to influence the market and also determine growth of the market, although relative powers of other competitors cannot be ignored.
How might Synthes introduce resorbable?
Introduction of resorbable products in the market may be achieved through adoption of new-product development cycle concepts and strategies (Verburg, Ort and Dicke, 2006).
There must be prior research to establish needs, competitors, market share, consumer behavior over the product, costs and all information pertaining to the product. The company should further adopt product penetration strategies that include price cut, heavy promotion, multiple-unit packaging and enhancement of distribution locations (Pangs, 2004).
At the same time, piloting pre-launch of products should be carried out to test the acceptability of the product and subsequently introduce necessary changes and improvement (Mohr, Sengupta and Slater, 2009).
Moreover, identification of target market should be the prior strategy, and this should be followed by efforts to carry out heavy product advertisement, role demonstration, education and learning strategies about the product and brand creation and promotion (Pangs, 2004).
Conclusion
Synthes Inc understands that excellence in the market, especially with increasing competition rests on the ability to remain innovative, technologically alert and market focused. Research and development therefore remains the key area the organization should earnestly put more emphasis into.
Market needs should constantly be transformed into appropriate and technological-adaptive products that have ability to endeavor to the market. In this case, it is advisable for the company to venture into bio-resorbable products market that presents future growth. To win the market, the company has to incorporate education, promotion, and demonstration strategies, while remaining focused on improvement of product features.
Reference List
Gourville, J. Y., 2002. Synthes. Harvard College Publication. [Attached notes].
Mohr, J. J., Sengupta, S. & Slater, S. F., 2009. Marketing of high-technology products and innovations. NJ: Pearson Education.
Pangs, P. N., 2004. Essentials of manufacturing engineering management. NE: iUniverse.
Synthes. 2011. Dedicated to health. Web. Web.
Verburg, R. M., Ortt, J. R. & Dicke, W. M., 2006. Managing technology and innovation. NY: Routledge.