Jostra Expands Operations in Canada and the United States

Toronto, August 6 2002 – With the opening of a new subsidiary in Toronto, Canada at the beginning of August, the Jostra Group, a leading player in the field of medical technology for cardiac surgery, has begun its own direct marketing activities in the Canadian market. The newly founded company brings together the marketing and distribution activities of all the Jostra brands in Canada. A further objective is to cement Jostra’s presence in Canada and in the United States.

“Launching the new Canadian company is an important step in our strategy of international expansion, and a pre-condition for the marketing of new therapy technologies that are currently in the development pipeline”, explains Christian Palme, CEO of Jostra AG. The relocation in July of the corporate office of the US subsidiary, Jostra Corporation, to the vicinity of Houston, Texas was another step in the same direction. The complete marketing and sales activities for the North American market and the production facilities in Puerto Rico are now headquartered in one location. A new logistics hub, additional sterilization facilities and the production of customer-specific tubing systems in Texas will make it possible to improve the services provided in the North American market. The development and production of heart-lung machines and oxygenators will continue to be concentrated in Hirrlingen, Germany, and in Lund, Sweden. Modern logistics and information technologies will ensure the rapid and reliable response to the needs of our North American customers.

Jostra AG was founded in December 1982 by the current Chairman of the Board of Supervisors Lars Sunnanväder. The headquarters of the company is located in Hirrlingen, Germany. Jostra also has manufacturing facilities in Lund (Sweden), Vaerlose (Denmark) and Puerto Rico. In addition there are subsidiaries in France, Italy, Spain, the Netherlands, Great Britain, USA, Canada, China, and Japan as well as a sales’ offices in Norway.
The range of products includes heart-lung machines, oxygenators (artificial lungs), catheters, cannula, and implants. Jostra is one of the world’s three major suppliers of single-use products and heart-lung machines for open-heart surgery, selling its products in more than 100 countries