Business Overview 2006 - Synthes

Synthes. Annual Report 2006
Vectra Plate
I am very happy with the strong growth performance of Synthes Europe.
The local currency growth rate of 15.5% in a well developed
market with hardly any room for price increases clearly indicates that
we were able to substantially gain market share. We have been the
leading company in Trauma for many years, and increasingly can claim
the dominant position in European countries for our Spine and Craniomaxillofacial
businesses. As a worldwide company we are now able
to introduce new products at an accelerated pace and have therefore
gained substantial market share throughout Asia and especially in
Japan, Australia and New Zealand. We are also very pleased with our
increased penetration in the emerging markets of Central and Eastern
Europe.
and offer thousands of training days to surgeons, OR-personnel and
our own staff.
I am grateful to our employees, who have made our company so successful.
I would also like to express my gratitude for our long-standing
and loyal customers. And we thank our shareholders for the confidence
they have shown in our company. We hope you enjoy this
annual report, which takes a close look at the artistic component of
our products.
Human Resources development
At the end of 2006 Synthes employed 8,451 people worldwide, and
we created 824 new jobs throughout the year. We offer a large variety
of challenges for qualified and highly motivated individuals seeking
a career in a global company. It is thanks to the day-to-day contribution
of each individual employee that we once again were able to
innovate our product portfolio, strengthen our service to hospitals,
Hansjörg Wyss
Chairman and CEO
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