Bietigheim-Bissingen, February 25, 2021 – The world’s population is growing and getting older. At the same time, many people still consume fast food, snacks and soft drinks – despite the trend towards a more conscious diet. All this is causing the worldwide demand for medical care products to increase: from disposable syringes to infusion sets and insulin pens. Every year, billions of such products are manufactured in compliance with high safety standards. This requires automated production plants that operate with absolute reliability. A leading supplier in this growth market is Teamtechnik, based in Freiberg near Stuttgart. The international automation specialist has been majority-owned by the Dürr Group since February 2021. Together, they want to expand in the MedTech business field.
Systems for the assembly and testing of medical technology products are Teamtechnik’s second largest product area. In 2020, they accounted for just under one third of sales of around €140 million – and the tendency is rising. Over the past few years, the business has grown. Since 2019 alone, Teamtechnik has acquired ten new customers, including prestigious pharmaceutical and medical technology groups. “That is a great success because the business is based on trust. Our customers manufacture essential products that are often used in hospitals. That is why system suppliers are scrutinized before an order is placed,” says Stefan Roßkopf, CEO of Teamtechnik.
The market for systems for the manufacture of medical technology products is growing every year in the high single-digit percentage range. “The growth opportunities in medical technology were a crucial argument for our entry into Teamtechnik,” explains Dr. Jochen Weyrauch, Deputy CEO of Dürr AG. The business is to be further expanded under the umbrella of the Dürr Group. In this regard, Teamtechnik can benefit, for example, from the financial strength, project management expertise and global presence of the new parent company.
Teamtechnik is well positioned for expansion. With its TEAMED product platform, the company covers the entire spectrum of customer demands: from the entry-level machine for test purposes to the high-performance large-scale production system in which parallel production takes place on up to eight production tracks. The systems are packed with high-tech components, such as feeding, dosing and testing technology, handling systems, sensors and grippers that precisely position even the finest needles for injection systems. Added to this are optional laser welding stations, gluing technology, palletizing and packaging equipment or vision systems with up to 15 cameras, as well as complete software packages.
Several billion contact lenses in one year
Systems from Teamtechnik assemble products such as inhalers, disposable syringes or AIDS tests from the smallest plastic parts. About 80 individual parts per minute is a reference value, but sometimes this number is even higher. After each assembly step, the quality is automatically checked.
Often, disposable items are produced, such as sterile infusion sets including tubing. The output of the plants must be correspondingly high. Fifty million units per plant and year are not uncommon. Teamtechnik has also already implemented a system that assembles 260 nasal spray devices per minute.
Daily contact lenses are also produced on Teamtechnik systems. Teamtechnik has supplied several dozen systems to the largest customer in this sector, having a total capacity of several billion daily disposable lenses per year.
In addition to the MedTech business segment, Teamtechnik is also active in the future-oriented market of electromobility, among others. Here, the company supplies testing systems for electric drives. The customer base includes new electric car manufacturers as well as established automotive groups around the world. Sales in this largest business segment amount to around €80 million. Since February 5, Teamtechnik has been part of the Dürr Group, which acquired a 75% stake in the company founded in 1976. In addition to the headquarters in Freiberg, there is a further location in neighboring Ludwigsburg. Teamtechnik also has a direct presence in China and the USA through subsidiaries.
