B. Braun Melsungen
Encyclopedia
B. Braun Melsungen AG is a German medical and pharmaceutical company, which has offices and facilities in 50 countries. Its headquarters are located in the small town of Melsungen
, in central Germany
. The company was founded and is still owned by the Braun family, and originated in the year 1839 as a pharmacy in Melsungen, where it started to sell medical herbs by mail to customers all over the country.
Later, a manufacturing plant was
built, where production of several medical products began, mainly surgical sutures. With this product, Braun started to supply to hospitals, and added in the following decades other product lines to its manufacturing program, like intravenous solutions, monitoring apparatus and other medical devices. In the 60's, Braun became highly specialized in plastics for pharmaceutical and medical uses, and developed the first plastic container for I. V. solutions, so as many other products for patient care in hospitals.
As the company grew, markets all over the world were opened to sell its products, and manufacturing facilities were acquired or established in several countries, like France, Italy, Spain, Switzerland, Slovakia, Czech republic, the United States, Brazil and Malaysia. B. Braun acquired also other health care companies, like Aesculap AG in Germany, one of the leading companies in the world for surgical instruments.
With over 41,000 employees in more than 50 countries, B. Braun is today one of the leading hospital supply companies in the world.
Aesculap was founded in 1887 in Tuttlingen
, Germany by Gottfried Jetter. Aesculap, Inc., its American division, was founded 110 years later in 1977 in Center Valley, Pennsylvania
. Aesculap AG was incorporated into the B. Braun Group in 1998.
Melsungen
Melsungen is a small climatic spa in the Schwalm-Eder district in northern Hesse, Germany.-Geography:Melsungen lies on the river Fulda in the North Hesse Highland. The brooks Pfieffe and Kehrenbach flow into the Fulda here...
, in central Germany
Germany
Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...
. The company was founded and is still owned by the Braun family, and originated in the year 1839 as a pharmacy in Melsungen, where it started to sell medical herbs by mail to customers all over the country.
Later, a manufacturing plant was
built, where production of several medical products began, mainly surgical sutures. With this product, Braun started to supply to hospitals, and added in the following decades other product lines to its manufacturing program, like intravenous solutions, monitoring apparatus and other medical devices. In the 60's, Braun became highly specialized in plastics for pharmaceutical and medical uses, and developed the first plastic container for I. V. solutions, so as many other products for patient care in hospitals.
As the company grew, markets all over the world were opened to sell its products, and manufacturing facilities were acquired or established in several countries, like France, Italy, Spain, Switzerland, Slovakia, Czech republic, the United States, Brazil and Malaysia. B. Braun acquired also other health care companies, like Aesculap AG in Germany, one of the leading companies in the world for surgical instruments.
With over 41,000 employees in more than 50 countries, B. Braun is today one of the leading hospital supply companies in the world.
Divisions
On an international level, B. Braun is separated into several divisions:- Hospital Care Division, which handles products related to infusion and injection and other disposable hospital supplies.
- Aesculap Division, which handles products and services related to surgery.
- OPM (Out Patient Market) Division
- B. Braun Avitum Division which handles products and services related to extracorporealExtracorporealAn extracorporeal medical procedure is a medical procedure which is performed outside the body.-Circulatory procedures:A procedure in which blood is taken from a patient's circulation to have a process applied to it before it is returned to the circulation...
blood treatment.
Aesculap
B. Braun's Aesculap division, (/æsˈkliːp/), which includes Aesculap, Inc., its American unit, is a manufacturer of surgical equipment. It derives its name from Aesculapius, the Greek and Roman god of medicine and physicians. It manufactures a range of equipment including sutures, handheld surgical instruments, implants, and electrosurgical devices and powers systems. It also provides training to healthcare workers through its Aesculap Academy.Aesculap was founded in 1887 in Tuttlingen
Tuttlingen
Tuttlingen is a town in Baden-Württemberg, capital of the district Tuttlingen. Nendingen, Möhringen and Eßlingen are three former municipalities that belong to Tuttlingen...
, Germany by Gottfried Jetter. Aesculap, Inc., its American division, was founded 110 years later in 1977 in Center Valley, Pennsylvania
Center Valley, Pennsylvania
Center Valley is an unincorporated village one mile north of Coopersburg, Pennsylvania, at the intersection of Pennsylvania Route 309 and Pennsylvania Route 378 in Upper Saucon Township, Lehigh County, Pennsylvania, in the United States....
. Aesculap AG was incorporated into the B. Braun Group in 1998.