by
Marie Basarich | févr. 18, 2013
Continuing four decades of excellence and distinction, USA-based medical device manufacturer DeRoyal remains committed to improving both the clinical quality and economic health of its customers and its community.
DeRoyal proudly announces their 40th year anniversary. Continuing four decades of excellence and distinction, USA-based medical device manufacturer DeRoyal remains committed to improving both the clinical quality and economic health of its customers and its community. Considering only 9% of US companies survive 40 years or longer, it is a major milestone for the privately-owned corporation.
DeRoyal has its origins in the beautiful Appalachian Mountains of East Tennessee where founder and owner, Autry O.V. “Pete” DeBusk was born and raised, and continues to maintain its global headquarters. With this deep-rooted heritage, DeRoyal is dedicated to preserving this legacy with continued ventures, investments, and employment of the people in the region.
DeRoyal founder Pete DeBusk worked for many of his early years as a pharmaceutical salesman in Tennessee. After years of noticing the dirty and deteriorating condition of many of the plaster casts he sold, Pete DeBusk invented an orthopedic cast boot made of leatherette with a rubber sole in 1973. Innovation has since remained a cornerstone of DeRoyal’s strategy. Today, DeRoyal proudly boasts a portfolio of over 90 patents with many more on the way. While DeRoyal has always made it a priority to remain on the cutting edge of technology in product development, DeRoyal has also applied this philosophy to the internal operations within the company. For example, DeRoyal was one of the first companies to use bar code scanning technology to track their products. At the time of its implementation DeRoyal Industries and Johnson & Johnson were the only two medical manufactures using this technology. After learning of scientists at Oak Ridge National Laboratory (Oak Ridge, Tennessee, USA) implementing computer systems to track the locations of enriched uranium, DeRoyal also became one of the first companies of its type to implement computers into their manufacturing and logistical operations.
Through innovation DeRoyal has been able to accomplish many industry “firsts”. In 1987, DeRoyal became the first company in the industry to offer custom procedural trays on a just-in-time basis. In 1990, DeRoyal also established another industry first with TraceCart, the first “case cart-to-waste cart” product delivery program. DeRoyal also developed two high-tech “fab labs” in 2005, which allowed for an overnight customization service for spinal orthosis and functional knee braces.
DeRoyal Industries has also used the practice of business acquisition to bring innovation into the industry. While DeRoyal still continues to internally develop products, the company has also focused on acquiring innovative companies and ideas. DeRoyal seeks to acquire companies that have innovative ideas, but little means to take their product properly from development stages to market. From an early age, DeRoyal has also acquired everything from knitting mills to electronic component manufactures, to develop into the vertically integrated company it is today.
Beginning in the early 1990’s, DeRoyal began to expand internationally with the development of DeRoyal’s first international operation in 1992, a manufacturing facility located in Kells, Ireland. DeRoyal opened a facility in Costa Rica in 1998 known as DeRoyal Cientifica, to manufacture key components of its temperature monitoring devices. The 2000’s was an era of great expansion in DeRoyal’s international operations, with the opening of facilities in Estonia, Guatemala, Dominican Republic, as well as the establishment of a sales and marketing office in Dublin, Ireland in 2012.
Today, DeRoyal employs approximately 2,000 people, markets more than 25,000 products, and holds more than 90 patents. DeRoyal continues with the same entrepreneurial spirit in which it was founded. Today DeRoyal offers a wide range of products in orthopedics, surgical and acute care, wound care, implants, as well as OEM products and services. DeRoyal strives to follow its mission, to manufacture quality products and provide customers added value with innovative services.