That was back in 1923. Rudolf Buck, then managing director of the Gebrüder Martin instrument manufactory, approached five competitors with just this future-oriented business plan, inviting each partner to assume responsibility for a specific part of the joint product range. The plan worked and has remained the basis of the KLS Martin Group’s success to the present day.
The company was founded in difficult times: there was galloping inflation, and hard money could only be earned abroad. Through extensive catalogs, participation in international trade fairs and global marketing activities, Gebrüder Martin managed to gain a foothold in foreign markets. The young company began to prosper. In 1931, the first main surgery catalog was published. In 1936, Gebrüder Martin presented its first dental catalog on the occasion of that year’s Dental Show. In 1939, the group’s steady growth called for a new building, to be erected at Tuttlingen’s Bahnhofstrasse 124.
World War II brought the company’s development to a temporary halt. On February 9th, 1945, the corporate building located near the station was completely destroyed. Until 1949, the company was forced to operate on a makeshift basis in provisional rooms. The early fifties saw the publication of new surgical and dental catalogs, and new product lines were added to the existing range. Among these were stainless steel products, whose production started in the mid-fifties. In 1960, Gebrüder Martin also began to concentrate on the development and manufacture of electromedical units. Many other product lines were thoroughly revised and updated.
In the mid-seventies, our close cooperation with Professor Maxime Champy was started, thus laying the groundwork for new product lines – instruments and implants for oral and maxillofacial surgery – that have been a success to the present day. In fact, the share of these lines in the growing overall sales volume has been steadily increasing over the years. In 1978, operating lights were added as a further business segment. The slogan “Martin – your partner in the OR” was born – and underpinned by a comprehensive range of products.
In 1982, a new, state-of-the-art sales building was erected in Tuttlingen’s Ludwigstaler Strasse and put into service in the same year. The nineties were marked by a fundamental renewal of the product range. New operating lights and electrosurgical units were added, not forgetting laser medicine as a real novelty.
Continued expansion soon necessitated a new distribution center, finished in 2003. A floor space of more than 2,000 m² (over 20,000 sq. ft.) now allows us to serve the market with highly advanced logistics concepts.
2004 saw the launch of the maxium®, the first electrosurgical unit offering completely intuitive handling. The extra-large display, the scientifically proven operating philosophy and a large number of program options are just some of the features that put the maxium® into a class of its own as a high-end electrosurgical unit.
2005 was the year of birth of our new slogan, “Surgical Innovation Is Our Passion”. The message behind this motto is nicely detailed in our quite exceptional image brochure.
Under this slogan, a whole range of very interesting products have been created in recent years. May it suffice to draw your attention to just a few highlights here. For detailed information, please refer to the respective product pages.
2006 was characterized by the launch of our marLux® operating light series. This new model range enabled us to set new standards as a market leader. Hardly a year later, we presented our marLED® models – the first OR light series using light-emitting diodes (LEDs) of the second generation as light sources.
The same year saw the start of a new era in oral and maxillofacial (OMF) surgery and neurosurgery: SonicWeld Rx® – a completely novel technique allowing resorbable implants to be welded into the bone structure using highly advanced ultrasound technology. The result is an amazing three-dimensional stability previously unknown.
In 2007, KLS Martin came up with the diomax® diode laser, a system offering a wide range of applications from private practices to endoscopic high-tech operating rooms. The diomax® is easy to use and satisfies the highest demands regarding the physical properties of the laser beam. As such, it is a true all-rounder for use in advanced surgery.
Thus, Rudolf Buck’s vision dating back to 1923 has materialized in a future-oriented group of companies with over 700 employees. Advanced manufacturing plants, large investments in research and development and a global sales network show the way to a successful future.
