Theramed

Specialist to Specialist

Purchasing medical equipment typically requires a considerable investment. Medical staff must rely on the advice and expertise of professionals with a specialized skillset—professionals who understand both the technical and medical requirements. They also rely on these professionals for after-sale service in order to ensure the equipment is running efficiently and properly at all times. Theramed’s team of experts is available to hospitals in both regards.

Theramed is able to meet the growing demand for its various products through specialized client services. With nearly 25 years of experience in the medical device sector, Theramed is a strong partner for hospitals and the industry in general.

A Family Business

Five years after the company was founded in 1984, Theramed was acquired by Nelly Augstburger as part of an estate. Since then, the family business has undergone several expansions. Today, Theramed employs 17 employees and counts all the major Swiss hospitals among its clients. "We dominate the market in the area of respiratory filters used in operations for patients on a ventilator,” said Severin Augstburger, director at Theramed. “Our goal also is to dominate the markets for anesthesia and intensive care respirators, dialyzers and perioperative thermal solutions," he added.

Thanks to the skills of its employees, Theramed continues to enjoy a leadership position in the market. “Our staff at the front are all qualified experts, with several years’ experience working in both customer service and healthcare,” said Augstburger. “For example, our specialist for anesthesia and intensive care ventilators worked in hospitals for several years and has been recognized by the ASI. The expertise of our employees, combined with the relationships with and proximity to our customers gives us great insight into the expanded requirements of the healthcare sector."

ERP to Augment Product and Service Success

In addition to consulting services and sales, Theramed maintains training on equipment sold, and ensures the delivery of consumer goods to hospitals. Capital goods represent about half of the company’s turnover, while the other half is achieved via the sale of consumer goods.

In the field of medical devices, product traceability is important: "It was a key requirement for our 2007 system implementation,” said Augstburger. After choosing the ProConcept ERP system from ProConcept, Theramed installed the system’s logistics, business management, finance, CRM, and WorkConcept modules.

According to Augstburger, the choice to implement a new ERP system would clearly benefit Theramed and its customers: "This modern and efficient software solution enables us to better perform our business processes and more easily and quickly find specific information."

A Proven ERP System

After a year using ProConcept ERP, Theramed can draw a very positive conclusion. "Our expectations have been met,” said Augstburger. “Business critical information is constantly updated and available to all employees, and according to the user-based rights assigned to each person. ProConcept ERP has made internal communication much simpler and more effective." This is possible in part thanks to the system’s ability to be molded to align with the company’s unique business processes. For example, the company set up an automatic calculation of minimum stocks, a custom system of addresses and links between people, as well as an overview of the status of framework contracts.

Augstburger also noted the system’s influence on employee motivation and morale. "It's a pleasure to work when the processes are well-defined and effective," he noted. He went on to explain how his sales staff were especially appreciative of the system’s ability to calculate load management and identify client research opportunities.

Achieving Simplicity

Theramed, as a family business, has a long-term vision. When Augstburger introduced the ProConcept ERP system, it was not only focused on the management of existing processes. In a company white paper entitled "Inspiration," crucial future development opportunities are outlined. "ProConcept ERP enables electronic data interchange, which will help us conduct electronic trade with our hospital clients and reduce costs," said Augstburger. With ProConcept ERP, Theramed is ready to face this challenge and others, including automating more intercompany tasks and transactions. In short, the software mirrors Theramed’s motto: reliability and simplicity.