Our Company

For over 150 years, Smith & Nephew has developed advanced medical devices for healthcare professionals around the world. Our pioneering technologies enable nurses, surgeons and other medical practitioners to provide effective treatment more quickly and economically.

Smith & Nephew operates in high growth markets driven by ageing demographics and technology’s ability to enable patients to live longer and enjoy more active lives. With the help of our innovative equipment, patients enjoy improved mobility and rapid recovery from surgery.

Our Business

Smith & Nephew is an industry leader in each of our three main Global Business Units – Orthopaedic Reconstruction and Trauma, Endoscopy and Advanced Wound Management. These businesses jointly offer over 1,000 product ranges.

Our global infrastructure continues to expand each year. We currently operate in 32 countries and generate annual sales of $3.8 billion. Substantial investment in our products and intensive research and development means that we are always ahead. Figures from last year show that we stand at number one as the leading company in Arthroscopy. We are the second largest organisation in Advanced Wound Management and number three in Trauma and Clinical Therapies. We are also positioned at number four in Reconstruction.

Smith & Nephew has a track record of bringing innovative new products to market that provide better clinical outcomes for patients and save costs for healthcare providers. This is the primary focus of our fourth business unit, Biologics.

Growth Markets

Over the last five years, the Company has grown revenues from $2,301 million to $3,801 million in 2008. Smith & Nephew is now the UK’s largest medtech company and one of the top companies in its field in the world.

Our three main areas of the business are focused upon markets that are already substantial and offer significant growth potential, fuelled by the following factors:

Ageing populations worldwide
On average, people are living longer. To retain a high quality of life well into their later years, they are more likely to need joint replacements and treatment for other conditions.

An increasing trend towards minimally invasive surgery
New tools and techniques are enabling surgeons to operate more effectively and carry out procedures that were not previously possible. Crucially, patients experience less trauma and recover faster.

More informed patients demand improved treatments
The more that modern healthcare can promise people, the more they expect of it – a cycle that is stimulating demand and innovation.
Greater product innovation and sophistication
The key to satisfying the needs of patients and the medical profession is to develop technically advanced devices that offer new treatment possibilities, thereby expanding the market – as Smith & Nephew is committed to doing.

The new technologies
The introduction of technologies like OXINIUM◊ material for hip and knee implants and products such as the BIRMINGHAM HIP◊ Resurfacing (BHR◊) and the JOURNEY DEUCE◊ knee are expanding the patient base and therefore the market, providing opportunities to treat younger patients. In the last year Smith & Nephew added Negative Pressure Wound Therapy, a major technology, to the Advanced Wound Management business.

Close to customers and patients
To help patients regain their lives more quickly and fully, we work with healthcare professionals on emerging new technologies and techniques. Our world-class, specialised salesforce provides frontline support to our customers and enables us to gain greater understanding of their needs. This commitment is underpinned by a unique range of education and training programmes designed specifically for healthcare professionals. Strong relationships with healthcare professionals are fundamental to our business. To earn their trust and confidence we know we must always behave with absolute integrity.

Research and development
Our business strategy is based on researching, developing, manufacturing and marketing technically innovative and advanced medical devices. In 2008 we invested $152 million in our highly regarded research and development activities – a figure that is currently around 4% of sales. The Biologics business unit, headquartered in North Carolina in the US, has strategic responsibility for product innovation and development and serves the needs of all the business units. Our dedicated research facility, the Smith & Nephew Research Centre located in York, provides specialised skills and resources. Our direct contacts with healthcare providers are a vital link in the chain. Clinicians’ views of their present and future needs provide essential impetus for our own research work.

We have three focus areas of cross-business research: novel bioresorbable polymers, tissue or cell engineering, and non-invasive stimulation. Scientific Review Boards, comprising eminent academic scientists and medical professionals, provide independent assessments of the quality of the science and engineering in our business unit programmes and guidance on emerging science as necessary.

About GI Pathology

Founded in 1995, GI Pathology (formerly GI Pathology Partners) is the only physician-owned laboratory in the United States dedicated solely to the practice of gastrointestinal and liver pathology. The company provides the highest quality GI pathology diagnoses, made only by fellowship-trained gastrointestinal and liver pathologists. Centrally located in Memphis, Tennessee, the company guarantees that pathology results will be delivered back to its nationwide client base within an industry-leading 24 hours.

Our Mission

Driven by the passion for excellence in diagnostic gastrointestinal pathology, GI Pathology will be the nation’s leading provider of high quality gastrointestinal and liver pathology services to physicians and their patients.

Our Philosophy.

We fight to be different… not for the sake of being different but for the sake of being the best. For us, like you, it’s the secure click of a cleat meeting its pedal.

* It’s the first pedal stroke with anticipation of a long ride churning within.
* Its the first breath inhaled.
* It’s the precise moment just before reaching the apex of a long climb.
* It’s the thrill of going down…fast.
* It’s finally getting through that technical section and then nailing it every time thereafter.
* It’s the “endo”, the road rash, the challenge, the thrill.
* It’s staring at convention and then disrupting it all to create that unique.
* It’s when you realize that between you and your bike, there is nothing you can not accomplish.

For us at Cannondale, it’s building, testing and rebuilding; making it better in the process, never settling for “good enough”. It’s knowing it, verses guessing it and using the world’s greatest athletes to prove it. It’s having such high standards and expectations in how we want product to perform that we are relentless in our pursuit.

It’s not about superfluous welds or fancy etchings, it’s about performance, innovation, superior product. Does it contribute to the ride? Does it do what we want it to do? When we step back and look at our work, the answer is easy… it does, and we feel it everyday, knowing you’ll feel it too.

Our Mission.

“Our mission is to create innovative, quality products that inspire cyclists around the world.” To succeed in our mission:

* We strive to exceed the expectations of our consumers, retailers and business partners.
* We believe our people drive our success and act accordingly.
* We work together as one global team.
* We act with respect, responsibility and integrity.
* We produce a stream of innovative, quality products.
* We limit our distribution to the best specialty retailers in the world.
* We stay lean, remain competitive and entrepreneurial.
* We promote from within whenever possible.
* We concentrate on detail, because the last 5% is often the difference between success and failure.
* We continuously improve everything.
* We govern our every deed by what is ‘just and right’.

Our Passion.

Our passion for cycling can be seen at every turn as we strive to be the best bicycling company in the world, day in, and day out. Our unwaivering focus on and dedication to people – riders, employees, retailers and vendors – is what drives us to conceive and manufacture products of the highest quality. Year after year, Cannondale leads the industry with unsurpassed innovation and state of the art technology.

Headquartered in Bethel, Connecticut, Cannondale designs, develops and produces bicycles at its factory in Bedford, Pennsylvania. The company operates subsidiaries in Holland, Switzerland, Japan, and Australia, and is owned by Dorel Industries Ltd. (TSX: DII.A, DII.B;)>

Join Us.

We invite you to learn more: See for yourself what makes Cannondale the industry leader; Take a testride, check out our latest technology and product innovations at your local Cannondale retailer or visit us at the next cycling event you attend. Together, we can make this a better world. Thanks for choosing Cannondale. We look forward to meeting you!

Unparalleled Fit and Comfort

Swiftwick socks are designed to perform. We put the right amount of cushion in the right zones to absorb impact where it is most frequently felt. From the “second skin” fit to the supple finish, you’ll feel the difference the moment you put them on.

Superior Climate Control

Swiftwick socks are named for their outstanding thermal properties and are available in two distinctly different blends…

Merino: Wool is a highly durable, timeless fiber with proven insulating qualities and the natural ability to wick moisture away from the skin. It keeps the skin dryer when sweating and cooler when hot. Merino Wool is coveted for its soft finish and no-itch feel. It is the sustainable fiber of choice for everyday athletes.

Olefin: As the only Nobel Prize winning fiber, Olefin retains less than .01% of its weight in moisture – so much so, that it floats! It also resists deterioration from chemicals and perspiration. This produces a fast drying, lightweight sock with incredible breathability, superb abrasion resistance and outstanding wear. Best of all, the production of Olefin has less environmental impact than most polymers because it leaves very little waste. Plus it’s easier to recycle than most synthetic fibers.

Stronger, Softer, Longer Wear

Our socks are knitted at 200 needles, the highest you’ll find in socks. The higher the needle, the tighter the knit. This high-gauge construction produces a softer, denser, more durable garment with outstanding graphic detail. Wear Swiftwick and you’ll buy fewer socks. It’s that simple.

From Baseline to Boardroom

Swiftwick socks were developed by cyclists, but have found their way to the top of the pile for runners, golfers and the common athlete with uncommon expectations. Life is sport and Swiftwick has eliminated the gap between dress socks and performance footwear.

Made in the U.S. of A.

Domestic production affords us improved quality control. We keep a close eye on the source of our materials and the integrity of our finished product. We are proud to employ the American Workforce. When you buy Swiftwick you make it happen.

Sustainable Approach

From the fibers in our socks, to minimal packaging, to our everyday approach, our company strives to be carbon neutral and create products with environmental sensitivity. Our philosophy is to conserve first, recycle and use carbon-offsets to further balance our impact.