About halfway between South Bend and Fort Wayne, lies Warsaw, Indiana,
known as the orthopedics capital of the world. In this small community
of about 13,000 people, twenty-eight Rose- Hulman alumni contribute to
major developments in the fast-growing orthopedics industry by creating
procedures and products to restore mobility and alleviate pain.
 |
|
Antony Lozier |
Warsaw is home to international orthopedic industry leaders Zimmer,
DePuy and Biomet. At each company, the work of Rose- Hulman graduates
has been instrumental in the companies’ success.
Zimmer, founded in 1927, specializes in designing, developing,
manufacturing and marketing reconstructive and spinal implants, trauma
and related orthopedics surgical products. It reported $3.3 billion
worldwide sales in 2005. DePuy Orthopedics, a Johnson & Johnson Company,
which designs, manufactures and distributes orthopedics devices and
supplies including hip, knee, extremity, trauma, orthobiologics, and
operating room products, is third in worldwide sales. Biomet, a medical
device designer and manufacturer, focuses on replacements for hips,
knees, shoulders, elbows, and orthopedic support devices. It reported $2
billion in sales in 2005 ranking the company fourth in worldwide sales.
All of this revolutionary technology began in 1895 when salesman
Revra DePuy developed the idea to use metal splints instead of wood for
setting fractures. After much success, DePuy hired sales manager Justin
Zimmer, who later spun off Zimmer, Inc.
In 1977, Biomet, Inc. was created by four entrepreneurs, Dane Miller,
Jerry Ferguson, Ray Harroff and former Zimmer employee and Rose-Hulman
alumnus and trustee Niles Noblitt (’73). According to Noblitt, chairman
of Biomet, a deep commitment to provide patients with the highest
quality products in the marketplace, was the force that spurred the
formation of the company.
 |
|
Niles Noblitt |
Biomet has been rewarded for maintaining its objectives. Today,
Biomet employs more than 6,000 employees worldwide in over 50 countries.
The heartland may appear an unlikely place for the world’s center for
orthopedics manufacturing. Yet to these multi-billion dollar global
companies, people make the difference. “Warsaw is a great location
because it is home to the many highly specialized support services that
are required for this industry. The people are knowledgeable with great
work ethics. At the risk of sounding a bit cliché, the people are the
real heart of our business,” added Noblitt.
Over the years, the enthusiasm for technological innovation has not
changed for Noblitt, “It is a business where there is always something
new and that’s fun. It’s a great combination - advancing technology and
introducing new products in a business where you have the opportunity to
help people.”
The demand for total joint replacement is expected to increase
dramatically during the next 25 years, according to Exponent, a
scientific consulting firm. The study predicts that hip replacements
alone will increase 174 percent. With this increased demand, technical
innovation will be critical and Rose-Hulman alumni will be at the
forefront.
As a product development engineer at DePuy, Bryan Rose (’03) “designs
custom surgical instruments for orthopedics surgeons who implant DePuy’s
joint replacement products. I take projects from start to finish... find
out the surgeons’ problems and translate those into design inputs,
develop ideas for solving the problems, create prototypes, and then make
sure the surgeon knows how to use them before they operate.”
 |
|
Bryan Rose |
The majority of projects involve creating instruments for new
minimally invasive surgical techniques. Rose enjoys the variety of
projects and typically works on 20-30 different cases each month.
Antony Lozier (’84), staff engineer for emerging technologies at
Zimmer, is responsible for everything from conceptualization to design,
testing and commercialization. He manages minimally invasive approaches
within all segments of Zimmer’s business.
“My role includes developing not only the technology itself, but also
the surgical techniques and strategies that turn the technology into a
clinically usable, safe and effective product for the future of Zimmer
and orthopedics,” said Lozier who began his career at Zimmer immediately
after graduation.
Lozier and his team look for new techniques and strategies that could
greatly reduce significant morbidity and mortality statistics within the
elderly population.
“The strategies involve facilitating very minimally invasive
approaches that eliminate muscle dissection and speed rehabilitation and
recovery from surgery,” he noted. “We’ve been able to look at the
techniques and implants required by the biomechanics of orthopedic
surgery in totally new ways.”
Lozier attributes his enthusiasm for innovation and his ability to
identify opportunities to his experiences at Rose-Hulman.
“I think that Rose was very good fit for my basic characteristics. I
developed a lot of my leadership qualities and a confidence in my
ability to think for myself and to think on my feet.”
 |
|
Ryan Schoenfeld |
As product development engineer at Biomet, Ryan Schoenefeld (’97) is
responsible for the development of digital technology in the operating
room. All of the projects that Schoenefeld has been involved with in his
nine-year career have gone to market with great success for Biomet.
Schoenefeld helps develop software and instruments used for
computer-assisted surgery. He works with surgeons on product design,
prototyping and testing. Schoenefeld also works closely with
manufacturing and quality engineers in the making of the parts. His love
for biomedical engineering originated at Rose- Hulman.
“When I was a student at Rose, I was in an orthopedic class taught by
Dr. Hulbert (former Rose-Hulman president),” said Schoenefeld. “His
passion for the industry was very contagious. I still get excited today
about providing people with the ability to become whole again. They may
enter the operating room with a broken leg or worn out hip but they will
leave much better because of the products that I have designed. A
perfect example is my mother who had some complications following a
total hip replacement. The surgeon was able to correct the problem with
a part I designed and hold a patent on.”
While the fruits of their labor deliver advanced technology solutions
for the success of their organizations, Rose-Hulman graduates are also
motivated by something else. These problem-solvers are driven by the
realization that the next wave of cutting- edge technology continues to
enable them to make a tremendous impact on the quality of life for
millions of patients… a service to the world that starts in north
central Indiana. | 
