Linvatec opinions - good/bad??

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Anonymous

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I have an interview- would be first sales job for me but I have a medical background (orthopedics). Can anyone in the business please give me an honest opinion about linvatec?
 






stear clear...I work for Stryker so my opinion my be biasis however don't take my word for it, just look at there dismal market share. I see these reps around from time to time and they'll approach me and ask how to get on with Stryker. Go for the IV exp. but don't expect to make much...in device sales half the battle is what you have in your bag, and in your case it would be shit!
 






The product aren't shit, they are actually very good. I can make a strong arguement that the camera's (autoclavable) and power instruments are second to none.

However the company is shit. HIGH turnover, the distrubitors have ruined a once good business. You have a system of little kings that take a lot of the commissions a invest very little back in the business. Some reps are very successful, making 300K plus, however that is less than 2 percent of the sales force. Good experinece for a year or two, but if you already have experience stear clear.

I used to be an independent there, I had several victories aganist Stryker and others. In the end though, the 800lb gorrila will bet you in to submission.

And talk about shit... how is that sports med line for Stryker doing, or OP1?
 












Sports medline i'd say strong, very strong and if you question the sports medline at Stryker I'd certianly rather work for for another sports med company then Linvawreck...I'd like to hear how your autoclav camera is second to none, the thing is a joke! Even the FDA is crack'n down on you fools..take a look at this letter from the FDA:

http://www.fda.gov/foi/warning_letters/g5406d.htm

You tell me...would you want to work for a company that recieves such an outstanding letter?? BTW look at the date 8/2005
 






Anonymous said:
Sports medline i'd say strong, very strong and if you question the sports medline at Stryker I'd certianly rather work for for another sports med company then Linvawreck...I'd like to hear how your autoclav camera is second to none, the thing is a joke! Even the FDA is crack'n down on you fools..take a look at this letter from the FDA:

http://www.fda.gov/foi/warning_letters/g5406d.htm

You tell me...would you want to work for a company that recieves such an outstanding letter?? BTW look at the date 8/2005
Click to expand...

Stryker Corporation (NYSE: SYK - News) announced today that it has received a subpoena from the United States Department of Justice requesting documents for the period January 2002 through the present as follows: "any and all consulting contracts, professional service agreements, or remuneration agreements between Stryker Corporation and any orthopedic surgeon, orthopedic surgeon in training, or medical school graduate using or considering the surgical use of hip or knee joint replacement/reconstruction products manufactured or sold by Stryker Corporation."

Just an example of some of the future troubles for Styker. Lining pockets to get business. Read some of the posts on the Stryker page, you would think you were reading something written by Stiffler. These guys have average product but a marketing machine behind them. Many people are catching on, Stryker is a mirage.
 






Karl Storz: Death of an German dream for China, India & Asia
Karl Storz is the Great German Company. But by clinging to the attitudes that made it an icon, Storz drove itself to ruin.

©By Sudha Menon, (senior research analyst healthcare)
NOVEMBER 22, 2008

Back in 2004, when it was still relatively flush, Director Karl Storz(India) invited me to a three-day "product seminar & road show." The idea was that writers like me would consume loads of free food and wine, pal around with executives, and develop favorable opinions about Storz.

After two decades of covering the healthcare industry, I've learned that Storz executives tend to be scrappers skilled at bare-knuckle office politics, while the top brass at office and marketing side are self proclaimed bravado and not set for smart, sincere, diligent - modern-day Eagle Scouts.

But in working for the largest company in the industry for so long, they became comfortable, insular, self-referential, and too wedded to the status quo of rigid and irrelevant policies drawn from head quarter- traits that persist even now, when Storz is on the precipice. They prefer conflict over stability, disorder over continuity, and only Storz's way over anybody else's. They believe that their vision and version will overcome adversity, and that tomorrow will be better than today - despite the evidence to the contrary.

In many ways the story of Storz since the 2004s is a tale of accelerating irrelevance in terms of market, management and customer relation. Customer loyalty and price preferences changed, competition tightened, technology made available much cheaper by local, European and Chinese companies in big leaps, and Storz was always driving a lap behind in terms of increase of market share. It became a red-state company, its Endoscope seldom seen in China and Europe now.

Storz has been losing market share in China and India since the 2005s, destroying capital on recruiting huge manpower like managers and product specialists for years, spending huge money on sponsorships and road shows without any significant result. The benefit of such awareness had been ripped by cost effective manufacturers.

I've had a chance to watch all this up close as a business journalist for the past many years. Over the years the company has tried to reform itself ample number of times in many countries without understanding the root cause, but it has been doomed by what once made it successful: doing it the only Storz way in consultation with wrong advisors. Ask one of the senior executive in India why Storz isn't flexible and market oriented and he'd tell you with pride, "We're playing our own game - taking advantage of our own unique history, heritage and product strengths."

I've visited Storz operation in Japan, China, Germany, Brazil, Middle east and U.S. I've attended Medical shows, product launches, technical background sessions, and news conferences, in addition to interviewing legions of many executives, dealers, analysts, and consultants. Looking back, three relatively recent events signaled the depth of the problems that have overwhelmed the company.

What I heard and learned from the incident were several things.
First, Storz always underestimate the ability of competitors to get it wrong.

Second, good manners, steady performance and business civility with acumen of their dealers are never reciprocated, encouraged or valued as an asset.

Third, a toxic mix to overreach the market and to increase profit, Storz started direct marketing in many countries eliminating long time dealers, compromises in manufacturing quality, and pound-foolish schemes had resulted in a endoscopy system that appealed to practically no surgeons.
Within weeks the customer would receive another ugliest schemes of all time. Creating systems that surgeons wants to buy and can be most cost effective must be the most fundamental mission of any company, and Storz had failed against their peers in Europe, China and India.

Aside from some stalling unresolved quality problems in most of the electronics units, Camera systems caused by software glitches and mechanical problem, the telescopes are out of vision in no time as promised gold standard, generating electricity leakage from the resectoscope and producing only water droplets. Still Storz is calling themselves a technology leader!!

Here is the nation's biggest endoscope maker, struggling mightily to meet tough economy standards of Asian countries, suddenly trying to change strategy without any meaning. What's remarkable about it is that it isn't surprising. Is it quality or brand or none? Look below the figures:

Telescopes with rod lens technology sold by most European manufacturers in range of $900 and Chinese manufacturers at $300 Storz sells at $3200.

Basic camera system single chip technology sold by most European manufacturers in range of $2500 and Chinese manufacturers at $2000. Storz sells at $5000.

Xenon light 180 watts sold by most European manufacturers in range of $1800 and Chinese manufacturers at $800. Storz sells at $3500.

Fiber optic cable sold by most European manufacturers in range of $150 and Chinese manufacturers at $50 Storz sells at $500.

MIS hand instruments sold by most European manufacturers in range of $200 and Chinese manufacturers at $100 Storz sells at $500.

Storz is still growing - the number of employees worldwide reached an astonishing figure over 3500 in 2008 - but cracks were appearing that would widen into fissures. The company seemed to forget how to execute according to market conditions and it encountered all kinds of problems.

Though still a Storz dealer or employee, many seemed fearful, shrunken and insignificant without the corporate apparatus and cooperation behind them. Some of the champions, were nothing compared with the might of the company, have now lost interest and considering Storz association unprofitable.

Rancorous relations with dealers in many countries and periodic management problems remained a fact of life at Karl Storz.

In addition, German business confidence hit its lowest level in more than five years in October 08 as the deepening financial crisis started to have an effect on the outlook for economic growth.

On other hand, Asia is facing high inflation and heading towards Economic recession. The worst phase of economics-stagflation. It is the worst paradox. For instance, Iceland, one of the richest countries, is bankrupt. A country that survives on imports has only one-day reserve for running the economy. This is global economics. We’re in deep trouble - we’re heading towards a massive depression, which will not be restricted to USA only - it will hurt and injure every country and every individual hard.

It's too bad nobody took the trouble to explain this to Karl Storz. If they had, maybe Storz wouldn't be looking so clueless.

This is also the message for Richard Wolf, Olympus, Stryker and many more to please step out of that boy's club of the masters of the universe who are orchestrating the endoscopy games and put yourself in the shoes of we the people, the consumer, the patients.
 












Ever since Gerald Woodward left Linvatec this division has been in a downward spiral. What a shame. Use to have a great reputation, great sales/distributor reps, excellent products. What in the hell happened?
 






Anonymous said:
Ever since Gerald Woodward left Linvatec this division has been in a downward spiral. What a shame. Use to have a great reputation, great sales/distributor reps, excellent products. What in the hell happened?
Click to expand...

It has been invaded by "outsiders"... These people helped to ruined GE, Baxter, Smith & Nephew, etc. with their bad decisions and management. They have now taken over the business at Linvatec and are repeating what they know best... creating corporate disaster.
 






Your absoulutely right! This company seems to have a pattern of hiring outsiders to run a div and now the company for a couple of years then they dissappear and it starts all over again. What about the employees that have been loyal and have worked very hard over the years???
 












Anonymous said:
Your absoulutely right! This company seems to have a pattern of hiring outsiders to run a div and now the company for a couple of years then they dissappear and it starts all over again. What about the employees that have been loyal and have worked very hard over the years???
Click to expand...

Honestly we are treated worse than a piece of shit a farmer would scrape off the bottom of his shoe. Loyalty means nothing to these people. The longer you are there, the more you show up in the radar. If you are in the radar long enough, you are history, end of story! Good workers get f**ked and the no brainers get promoted, how is that fair to those that know how to work? I'm just going to wait as long as I can and hope the economy picks up long enough for me to find a better job with less bullshit to deal with.
 
















































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