Waldemar Link GmbH & Co. KG
LINK was founded on January 1, 1948 in Hamburg as a dealer for hospital supplies and soon established itself as a specialist for new surgical instruments developed in close cooperation with surgeons. But company founder Waldemar Link was not satisfied with this success. So, in 1963, the first German total hip prosthesis was presented, whose acetabular cup was developed in collaboration with Professor Hans Wilhelm Buchholz - Medical Director of the Second Surgical Department of the St. Georg Hospital in Hamburg, which also gave its name to this revolutionary implant. The St. Georg Model broke new ground in joint prosthetics and paved the way for other innovations over the following years, again in cooperation with respected physicians and surgeons.
Company details
Find locations served, office locations
- Business Type:
- Manufacturer
- Industry Type:
- Medical Equipment
- Market Focus:
- Globally (various continents)
- Year Founded:
- 1948
The Company
Yesterday was good. Today is even better. Let’s look forward to what tomorrow holds!
From the scalpel through to development of the Schuchardt dermatome, Küntscher nail and Buck-Gramcko hand surgery instruments: Waldemar Link used his extensive know-how to always stay one step ahead of the competition. The company’s visionary founder recognized that close practical cooperation with medical experts was both fundamental to successful product developments and a guarantee of their success.
Yesterday
In order to keep up with the constant growth, LINK opened a large, modern production plant in Norderstedt at the end of the 1970s. Always been ahead of its time, this innovative company offered comprehensive training packages for physicians with informative surgery films as standard.
Today
Whilst development and production are still based mainly in Norderstedt near Hamburg, this international prosthesis and instrument manufacturer now has numerous subsidiaries and distributors all over the world. LINK has been operating its own investment foundry, VACUCAST, in Berlin since 1997. With this foundry, a seamless monitoring system is in place, from the production of liquid metal for use in arthroplasty for human medicine through to the finished implant. In order to satisfy growing demand in Asia, a production facility was opened in China in 2008. This site is under German management and is subject to corresponding quality standards. Today, LINK stands for first-class quality, new product innovations and continuous further developments for primary solutions and tailor-made special implants, with the focus on hip, knee, tumor and revision arthroplasty. Whilst the company, of course, monitors the latest trends closely, it always pursues its own philosophies and research findings, and regards its top-most priority as long-term treatment success for patients. So it’s hardly surprising that LINK products impress with exceptional registry data (for more details refer to “Approach to quality”) and give patients real hope of an active life with a prosthetic joint.
Tomorrow
Our objective is to enable even more people to enjoy a pain-free life with maximum mobility in the future. To achieve this, LINK works continuously on optimization in every area. We invest heavily not only in production and research into new materials and surface finishes, but also in the development of emerging growth markets. The focus is also on improved training opportunities for physicians. Workshops, user training sessions, visiting surgeon programs and symposiums are offered in order to provide optimal support and facilitate day-to-day surgical work. This, furthermore, ensures close practical cooperation, which is the basis for continuously improving our implants and instruments and thus creating a win-win situation from which everyone benefits, in particular the patient, the surgeon and our company.
Yet, regardless of how ambitious our expansion goals may seem, we never lose sight of our core values so that profitable and organic growth can be achieved from within. True to the motto: with genuine enthusiasm and passion, anything is possible.
Overview
Shaping the future together.
From the early days, as a Hamburg-based firm dealing in hospital supplies, up to the present day, as an internationally respected developer and manufacturer of joint prostheses, our success story was made possible by the commitment of our team and close collaboration with our customers. With their creativity and our passion, we set standards in knee, tumor and revision arthroplasty and also spinal surgery. We are expanding our position in these fields, and we have a presence in all the important world markets.
At the same time, we regard our implants as more than simply commercial goods. Each medical case represents a person’s hopes for a mobile, pain-free life. Improving patients’ quality of life around the world, and never standing still - that’s what motivates our team every day.
Approach to Quality
It is often said that the quality of a product depends on good ingredients - and in this respect, LINK makes no compromises. This applies to management, materials, development, production, packaging and the training and recruitment of new specialist staff: We strive for perfection in all areas. In terms of our products in particular, there are permanent quality controls at every stage of production, which means incoming, intermediate and final inspections. The LINK Group’s quality management system is certified to ISO 13485 and Annex II of the EC Directive 93/42/EEC for Medical Devices.
The name LINK is not only a guarantee of excellent functionality, and thus maximum comfort for patients and physicians. It is also key to minimizing repeat and revision interventions, which in turn reduces costs for the entire health system.
At LINK, patient safety and product performance take precedence over all commercial goals. In addition to comprehensive controls, the prosthesis specialist also invests heavily in testing and measuring equipment. Compliance to the smallest tolerances down to the µ range (for example for ceramic carriers) is ensured and documented in full with the help of a QDA system. Moreover, the production departments are always investing in new technologies to ensure ongoing product optimization. For example, the company boasts innovative multi-axis machinery for highly complex geometries which can be programmed via CAD/CAM software using a 3D model.
Innovation & Development
A successful product is much more than the sum of its parts.
This not only applies to the production facilities in Norderstedt but equally to the Berlin-based investment foundry VACUCAST and the company's own specialist development enterprise, DERU. LINK is continually working on innovations in all areas - from new coatings through to optimized instruments in order to satisfy the advances in day-to-day surgery.
The Hamburg-based specialists for arthroplasty and bone replacement are not only focused on new developments. Existing implants and instruments are subject to frequent scrutiny and, where appropriate, improved in line with the very latest findings. But that does not imply that we follow every single trend. For this long-established company, innovation also means sticking to the tried and tested provided that there are good reasons for doing so.
At the LINK Group's development enterprise, DERU, an ever growing team of specialists works on improvements in the arthroplasty sector. Our development engineers not only take account of the latest findings regarding biomechanics, metallurgy, polymer technology, tribology, surface technology and kinematics, but also the current technological requirements, for example, in terms of machinery.
Hip prosthesis innovations
Although the anatomically adapted hip prosthesis system SP II Model Lubinus was launched back in 1984, even today this femoral stem is regarded as pioneering and impresses with its outstanding long-term stability. The curvature of this prosthesis stem, which is additionally curved in the sagittal plane, is modeled on the three-dimensional shape of the femoral medullary canal. Accordingly, the prosthesis corresponds to the anatomy of the human hip and can counteract the rotational forces known to be the main cause of loosening. This product has, to date, achieved unrivaled results in the regularly published and validated documentation from the Swedish hip study*. In 2015, LINK launched the cementless SP-CL on the basis of the cemented Lubinus SP II. It draws on the long experience of the SP IIand is likewise an anatomical femoral stem.
The C.F.P. Hip Prosthesis System, too, is based on the biomechanically optimal load-bearing and anchoring principles of human physiology. This product was developed in 1988 specially for biologically young patients: the bioharmonic short stem system enables a cementless implantation technique to be used. It also allows the femoral neck axis to be conserved and thus ensures the best possible conditions for any subsequent interventions which might be necessary.
Knee prosthesis innovations
The LINK GEMINI Total Knee Replacement provides for soft tissue-friendly interventions. With the modular SL System and its three functional designs, Mobile Bearing, Fixed Bearing and Fixed Bearing PS, it is possible to react to specific conditions during the course of surgery. The LINK Sled Prosthesis with MITUS ART instrument set, which was launched back in 1969, boasts a similarly unique success story. According to the Swedish Knee Arthroplasty Register, it has been continuously cited as the reference product* in terms of revision risk since 2001.
The LINK Endo-Model Rotational and Hinge Knee Prosthesis, which was developed in 1979 on the basis of the St. Georg model, has also proved a major success for several decades. Whilst the basic principle has remained unchanged, today this prosthesis includes a variety of new features such as a long stem, cementless stem anchoring, LINK PorEx coating, the modular SL Model and models for distal femur replacement and proximal tibial replacement. Thanks to the alignment of the resection geometry to the primary knee, the SL Knee is a system-integrated, exchangeable component which offers a vast range of options for primary and revision interventions, whether as a rotational or hinge knee joint.
Tumor and revision arthroplasty innovations
At LINK we are guided by the maxim: “The more complex the task, the more we relish the challenge.”
For example, using individual medical histories and x-ray images, a specialist team works solely on developing custom-made implants for seemingly unsolvable cases - from push-through prostheses, pelvis replacement, proximal tibial replacement, distal femur replacement and prostheses for patients with extreme bone loss through to implants which are capable of growing together with the child patient. Over 35,000 custom-made implants have been produced since the 1970s. But certain standardized LINK prosthesis models also offer a wide range of options and customizations. Take, for example, the cemented and cementless MP Reconstruction Prosthesis which, given its modular stem components, allows the stem length, anteversion and neck length to be individually adjusted in stages. Moreover, the materials used, the innovative redirection of forces and the long-established connection technology are a guarantee for maximum stability.
The innovative LINK MEGASYSTEM-C Tumor and Revision Prostheses are even more outstanding, a modular reconstruction system for tumor surgery whose numerous modules allow partial bone replacement in the proximal and distal femur region in centimeter steps up to and including total femur replacement.
Surgical instrument innovations
In addition to developing many arthroplasty innovations, the company, which was originally founded as a supplier of hospital equipment, has always remained true to its roots. Today, LINK supplies a comprehensive range of surgical instruments for hand, foot and spinal surgery as well as general orthopedics. These instruments have been developed in close cooperation with practicing surgeons with an impressive depth of expertise.
The spectrum of specialist spinal instruments is unique in the world. Around 1,500 instruments for the most diverse applications are available, including numerous in-house developments for soft tissues, bones, skin, osteosynthesis and other areas. The range of instruments designed to facilitate hand surgery covers every situation. Alongside standard instrument sets for the most diverse applications, including soft tissues, bones, tendons, skin transplantation, microsurgery and osteosynthesis, LINK offers the right product for virtually every hand-surgery requirement; from forceps and scissors, scalpel handles, needle holders and vascular clamps through to self-retaining retractors and surgical accessories.
Material & Research
The company’s own investment foundry, VACUCAST, develops first-class titanium and cobalt-base alloys with a high level of biocompatibility, corrosion-resistance, material purity as well as excellent physical properties. Above and beyond this, LINK has made a name for itself with its innovative material developments and surface coatings. For example:
- X-LINKed UHMWPE: Ultra-high-molecular-weight polyethylene which boasts particularly good properties in terms of abrasion, material strength and oxidation resistance, and thereby ensures a longer lifespan for the implants
- Special plasma-spray surface coatings with an open-pored structure. Electrochemical processes for improved and quicker osseointegration and greater mechanical strength for implants - such as the HX coating made from rapidly soluble calcium phosphate and the TiCaP double coating made from titanium and calcium phosphate
- Innovative surface modifications for very specific demands - such as LINKPorEx technology for patients with hypersensitivity to metal, and others that are being continuously developed and researched
Internationality
To achieve boundless innovation, you have got to think beyond borders.
LINK has a clear vision: Every single person in the world should have the option of receiving a first-class prosthetic joint if needed.
With this vision in mind, the company has been represented on all five continents since the 1970s and has remained committed to cross-border expansion even though international sales present numerous additional challenges, such as different healthcare systems, local product approval and currency exchange rate changes.
As a result of the early internationalization of the company, LINK products have been included in joint prosthesis registers for decades. Since LINK products have always achieved exceptional survival rates, the continuously above-average results in these registers served, in turn, to enhance the company's international profile.
Given the broad range comprising both standard and premium products, the German arthroplasty specialist is able to satisfy all demands, also in terms of price, and to serve all markets. LINK is set to build on its market leadership in China and elsewhere: the company is additionally committed to ensuring that Germany retains its international reputation for quality in other emerging growth markets such as South America and India, and that, in the future, the label “Made in Germany” remains a mark of distinction that creates confidence.