We are inspired by the opportunity to work together to advance patient care.

DePuy Synthes Companies has a very rich history – a history of innovation, of working with some of the greatest minds in the industry and of making a difference in the lives of tens of millions of patients around the world.

And it all began with a splint.

Back in 1895, a 35-year-old chemist and pharmaceutical salesman named Revra DePuy came up with the idea of starting a business to manufacture fiber splints that could be customized to fit patients and would be an advance over the wooden splints that were commonly used in the late nineteenth century.

DePuy opened his business, which he named DePuy Manufacturing Company, in a hotel room in downtown Warsaw, a city in northern Indiana that is home to several natural lakes and which DePuy had grown fond of during his work-related travels.

Even before Revra DePuy made his first sale, he made history. His business became the first orthopaedic manufacturing business in the world, and his decision to set up shop in Warsaw was the catalyst for Warsaw becoming the “Orthopaedic Capital of the World.®”

Over the next quarter century, until his death in 1921, Revra DePuy continued to make splints and grow his business. He replaced his fiber splints with wire cloth splints. He added more than a dozen employees to the payroll. He also complemented his mail-order business with a small team of salesmen, one of whom was Justin Zimmer, who later started his own splint manufacturing company in Warsaw.

In the decades following Revra DePuy’s death, the orthopaedics industry changed dramatically. New scientific advances led to the development of artificial joints, as well as techniques for correcting spinal deformities, repairing broken bones with internal fixation devices and many other innovations. DePuy Manufacturing not only adapted to the changing orthopaedic industry, it helped shape it. Through a series of leaders, owners, acquisitions, collaborations and joint ventures, DePuy Manufacturing transformed from a company that made splints to a leader in developing and manufacturing implants and instruments to treat a wide range of diseases and disorders of the musculoskeletal and neurological systems.

Along the way, there were many company “firsts.” DePuy introduced the first mobile bearing knee system in the United States, the LCS® Knee System. It pioneered POROCOAT® Porous Coating, which is composed of sintered alloy beads that allow biological fixation to bone without the use of bone cement. During the 1980’s, DePuy’s AML® Hip System became the first cementless porous-coated implant indicated for biological fixation in the world.

Innovation and growth were further fueled by several mergers and acquisitions. In 1990, DePuy’s parent company at the time acquired Chas. F. Thackray Limited (Leeds, United Kingdom). Thackray played a key role in the development of cemented fixation through its work with Sir John Charnley, the “father” of total hip replacement. DePuy’s work in biologic fixation and Thackray’s contributions to cemented fixation continue to shape new innovations to this day. Interestingly, not only did DePuy go on to manufacture and market the CHARNLEY Hip for many years , it also had marketing rights for some time to the Müller® Hip, named after Swiss orthopaedic surgeon Maurice E. Müller, whose cemented straight stem has remained virtually unchanged since its inception decades ago.

In 1998, Johnson & Johnson, one of the world’s largest healthcare companies, acquired DePuy, by then known as DePuy, Inc. Later, in 2012, Johnson & Johnson acquired global medical device company Synthes, Inc., and combined that company with the DePuy franchise to create one of the world’s largest orthopaedic and neurological businesses.

We are inspired to be good citizens of the world.

We are responsible to the communities in which we live and work and to the world community. We must be good citizens. We must encourage civic improvements, and better health and education. We must maintain the property we are privileged to use, protecting the environment and natural resources.
 
The Environment

As a medical device manufacturer, DePuy Synthes Companies is mindful of our influence and our impact on the environment. Our LeLocle, Switzerland facility has significantly reduced its usage of volatile organic compounds (VOCs) by replacing traditional degreasing methods that used VOCs with a water-based cleaning method.

We have made strides in packaging improvements as well. Our Warsaw, Indiana facility has nearly eliminated the use of PVC in all Warsaw-based packaging. Our Blackpool, England facility has implemented the use of Electronic IFUs (Instructions for Use) for a range of products to reduce paper usage.

Our leadership has been recognized by the State of Indiana’s prestigious Environmental Stewardship Program, which awarded the Warsaw facility membership for its contributions to continuous environmental improvements and demonstration of long-term compliance with environmental laws. DePuy Synthes Companies facilities in Cork, Ireland and Leeds, England received Johnson & Johnson Sustainability Awards for their environmental leadership. All of our global sites work toward the highest standards with multiple facilities certified under the ISO 14001 and OHSAS 18001 standards.
 
Our Contributions

The DePuy Synthes Companies are uniquely positioned to improve the lives of those in need through product donations, charitable giving and community involvement. Patients in countries around the globe—Honduras, El Salvador, Nicaragua, Ghana, Pakistan, China and more—benefit each year from DePuy Synthes Companies product donations to medical missions. DePuy Synthes Companies personnel will often travel with the mission volunteers to support their work as well.

Since 2006, our DePuy Synthes Companies International organization has supported Open Arms Malawi, providing housing, food and funds to the children of Malawi impacted and orphaned by HIV/AIDS. Volunteers also travel to the home of Open Arms Malawi to build and maintain the operation’s facilities. More than 50 children receive full-time care and many others benefit from its services.

We support the international program Safe Kids, which promotes child safety educational programs. Johnson & Johnson is a founding sponsor of Safe Kids Worldwide. Employees at our Suzhou, China, facility have supported the Safe Kids fire safety program in their location, while in the U.S., DePuy Synthes Mitek Sports Medicine partners with Safe Kids USA to present sports injury prevention events. DePuy Synthes Companies supports the United Way in concert with Johnson & Johnson. Other organizations also benefit from contributions by employee groups, including the American Diabetes Association in the U.S., Brian House Children’s Hospice in England and AmbeKi (Alleinerziehende mit Behinderten Kindern/Single Parents with Handicapped Children) in Germany.
 
Our Volunteerism

On a local level, employees at our facilities around the world volunteer as mentors to school children, donate blood, assemble food baskets for needy families and improve their neighborhoods.

Our employees in the U.S. volunteer with Junior Achievement and support City Year. In Warsaw, Indiana, we support the Purdue University, Fort Wayne Health Education Consortium for disadvantaged students. Around the world we support education in our local communities by going into classrooms and welcoming students to our facilities to learn more about career options.

In Raynham, Massachusetts, we donate Thanksgiving Baskets and Birthdays-in-a-Box to brighten these special days for those in need. In Miami, Florida, we joined employees at other Johnson & Johnson companies to provide Thanksgiving meals to 1,000 struggling families. In Cork, Ireland, we hold a Shoe Box Appeal for children abroad in orphanages and a Christmas Tree Appeal to sponsor Christmas presents for local children in need. In Leeds, England, we partner with the Leeds Organic Growers to provide a sustainable community garden.

Our employees truly live the values in Our Credo. The DePuy Synthes Companies strive to provide an environment in which we’re inspired to ensure these actions move hand-in-hand with our business.