Stryker Or Storz

Quote






I got on this board to perhaps learn something about the culture and products of these two companies. I thought I would be able to decide who I would rather work for. Instead I discovered alot about the reps that work at Stryker and Storz. Depressing.
 






"I got on this board to perhaps learn something about the culture and products of these two companies. I thought I would be able to decide who I would rather work for. Instead I discovered alot about the reps that work at Stryker and Storz. Depressing."

You have a small sample size of information to go off here. Both sides are very biased, and fully believe in their products. I can answer your questions in an objective manor. I don’t work for Storz or Stryker or any imaging company for that matter. You hit the nail on the head with culture; you should find a job where you fit in with the company’s philosophy. There are many players in the endoscopy market; different companies have different strengths and weaknesses. Why just Stryker or Storz? What are you currently doing for work? Storz and Stryker are the two powerhouse players, embrace the fact that there is competitive spirit between the two companies, it’s a good thing.

At this date here is how I would rank the quality of endoscopy products given that different companies have certain areas of specialty that they are better in that others ie gi uro gyn gen ortho and anesthesia etc.

Overall Rank: 1.Storz 2.Stryker 3.Olympus (ACMI) 4. Smith and Nephew
5. ConMed

There are others but with minimal market share. As far as work quality is concerned, you are expected to be a performer for all of the above you should be competitive and thrive under pressure.

-Objective
 






Anonymous said:
I got on this board to perhaps learn something about the culture and products of these two companies. I thought I would be able to decide who I would rather work for. Instead I discovered alot about the reps that work at Stryker and Storz. Depressing.
Click to expand...

Oh, so you've heard from about 1-2% of each company's sales force and have come to some firm conclusions, have you?

What's the view like from up there on your high horse?
 






From up here it looks like the 1-2% of posters on here who keep bashing the competitor product think they will be successful based on the superiority of their company's technology. My question is: Could you be successful if you knew that your product had no advantage over your competitor's product, or worse if theirs was better? Is the value you bring to your customer completely tied up in some slight technological advantage? I'd like to hear from the sales professionals who think they could move the business without leaning on bashing the competitor or somehow otherwise insinuating themselves into the personal lives of their customers. I realize this may not be the proper forum for this discussion.
 






I agree, this job is a customer service job not just about sales and slight technology differences. There will always be different sales stories from all the companies but at the end of the day people buy from people. Most customers are loyal given the right back-up and support.

The level of support can be very subjective but overall you should know as a good sales person if your service levels are up to scratch!!
 






We are from asia where we have to convince the customer with the same old story that storz is better than Stryker. In a recent workshop where we had 1000 delegates watching 2 live surgeries one with STRYKER HD and the other with STORZ HD the difference was phenominal of course STORZ was better We were transmitting from both the OR's using standard Analog outputs.

It was the easiest way to convinence a huge customer base as compared to doing it individually.

Stryker can never face a one to one comparission. We have also tried using the two cameras in the same case one with one port having the STORZ HD and the other with STRYKER HD 1188

Always call for a one to one Demo as this is the easiest way to Compare. The Strykers rep's talk a lot but let them come together and they would never want to.!!!!!!!!!
 






A medical center in my patch just sent back their 3 image 1 HD camera's after requesting written confirmation from storz that they have native 1080p resolution as was sold to the MD by the rep.

Despite writing several times they heard nothing back in 6 months.

I think the expression of "If you don't have anything good to say don't say anything at all" springs to mind.
 


















Anonymous said:
We are from asia where we have to convince the customer with the same old story that storz is better than Stryker. In a recent workshop where we had 1000 delegates watching 2 live surgeries one with STRYKER HD and the other with STORZ HD the difference was phenominal of course STORZ was better We were transmitting from both the OR's using standard Analog outputs.

It was the easiest way to convinence a huge customer base as compared to doing it individually.

Stryker can never face a one to one comparission. We have also tried using the two cameras in the same case one with one port having the STORZ HD and the other with STRYKER HD 1188

Always call for a one to one Demo as this is the easiest way to Compare. The Strykers rep's talk a lot but let them come together and they would never want to.!!!!!!!!!
Click to expand...

Never lost a one to one with Storz. Camera head is HUGE, image gets way to red with any blood and not great with a 5.

Also genius, why display an HD image via analog outputs. Makes tons of sense moron.
 






Anonymous said:
The company has $2.4 billion on the books in cash and they seem incapable of making any good acquisitions. Plus, with the DOJ breathing down their necks, a bleak future for their Endoscopy division and restructuring going on in their European group, Stryker will struggle in the next years.
Click to expand...

only a moron would consider 2.4B in cash a problem. This is called discipline. It would be easy to pull the trigger on multiple acquisitions, the challenge is finding the right one. The Howmedica purchase several years ago doubled the size of the company and was purchased for less then three times sales.

In todays economy, 2.4B can buy a hell of a lot.
 






Anonymous said:
I posted about a year ago with a couple questions for Storz. Still no response. I'll keep it simple, just one this time.

Why for six years did you sell SDI as the "choice of broadcast TV", hand out marketing literature to customers saying SDI was better than Stryker's DVI and then come out with a DVI camera. (I still give copies of this out and customers love them).

We can debate HD jargon all day long, but before you go on another rant, please answer this one question.

What happend to SDI being superior???

Anyone?
Click to expand...

Check this site once every three months, still waiting for an answer......?
 


















Anonymous said:
Check this site once every three months, still waiting for an answer......?
Click to expand...

Not a Storz guy, so I can't speak for them. However, both are essentially the same. Not a huge difference. I challenge anyone to use both signals and change inputs during a live case, and if you are comment on the difference in image then you're bullshitting. SNE rep here, we use both signals and either one is great. No need to split hairs.
 






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.
 












Anonymous said:
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.
Click to expand...

You know, this is great information. You forgot to mention....

Kia Rio $9000 Korean made vehicle. Mercedes C300 $34000.
Hyundai Genesis 37000. BMW 550 70000.

WHAT IS YOUR POINT?? People are willing to pay for quality engineering. Tell your customer that your product is made in the US, Germany, Switzerland and their dick gets hard. Tell them it is made in China, Korea, Thailand and they look at you like a used car salesman.
 






You sales people dont know shit about video technology

You sales people don’t know SHIT about technology; your talk is fluff full of distorted information --- from both sides.
Good example is sales people saying 720p is "HD" and SXGA is not. LOL!
Because plenty of people own a 720p "HDTV"
Terms like “HDTV”, "720p" and "1080p" are mostly used for advertising in the consumer market (to people like medical sales people, LOL)

Education:
720p = 1280x720 resolution
SXGA= 1280x1024 resolution (this is GREATER than 720p)

HD = High Definition
High Definition usually refers to 720 or more lines of video format resolution displayed in a horizontal fashion from top to bottom.

SD = Standard Definition (old TV broadcasts)
Standard Definition usually refers to 480 horizontal lines of resolution.

HD and SD refer to lines of video resolution, not aspect ratio (4x3, or 16x9)
------------------------------------------------------------------------
Now that that’s over:

In surgery, I have seen both Storz and Stryker cameras in action. In the side-by-side comparison I saw, both looked good;

The Storz image, although it was 16x9, I did not see the point of it being wide screen since it was a round endoscopy image with a black area that filled in on the left and right. I didn’t see the point of displaying a round image in a widescreen format.

The Stryker signal in a 4x3 aspect ration actually seemed better; I realize that it seemed better because the height of their monitor made the picture bigger that the long narrow 16x9 image by Storz. So, we connected the Storz image to the larger Stryker monitor and discovered that both endoscopy images looked about the same. The Stryker camera white balance seemed a little better; that’s about it.
 






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