molnlycke health care mag 2015

MÖLNLYCKE HEALTH CAREMAGAZINE

TURNING GREEN How traffic lights are helping us to reduce our use of chemicals

BIG IN AMERICA Why we are making more of our products available directly to patients across the US

EUREKA MOMENTSThe search for the next generation of life-changing products

“ Any burn injury is hard to overcome, mentally as well as physically.” J.R. Martinez

2015

SUSTAINABLE BUSINESS SUSTAINABLE LIFE

2

CONTENTS

1 Sustainable business, sustainable life A foreword by CEO Richard Twomey

7 A global conversation How employee feedback is shaping our strategy

9 Getting the safety habit Factory teams lead the way to higher safety standards

13 Problem solved Looking for the next generation of life-changing products

15 Making a positive difference A new breakthrough in Negative Pressure Wound Therapy

17 Joining forces Supporting charities with people, time and money

29 Turning the lights green Traffic lights are helping us reduce our use of chemicals

31 Tailor-made for customers Our customised surgical packs are a hit with clinicians

34 Keeping it personal J.R. Martinez tells how wound care helped him turn his life around

37 Roads less travelled Rethinking how we transport goods to reduce CO2

41 Working together to deliver the best How we build strong relationships with our suppliers

44 Working responsibly, living by our code Our ethical Code of Conduct informs everything we do

45 Strength in diversity Our workforce is as varied as the communities we serve

49 The customer voice Listening is the heart of good product development

51 One world of healthcare Sharing our wound care expertise from Brazil to China

A PASSION FOR SOCIAL RESPONSIBILITY Being ethical is not only part of our DNA as a company – it is essential for long-term business success, says our Director of Environment, Health and Safety.

GOING THE EXTRA MILEA visit to our Malaysian factories shows how good working conditions are helping to build a highly productive workforce, which is focused on quality.

25 WAR ON WASTEWe reuse and recycle everything we can, from packaging to microscopic flecks of silver, in our drive to reduce waste.

35GETTING CLOSER TO PATIENTSWe are making more of our products available directly to patients – including through CVS, one of America’s largest pharmacy chains.

3 21

FOREWORD

SUSTAINABLE BUSINESS, SUSTAINABLE LIFEAt Mölnlycke Health Care, we believe that a sustainable business has its customers and their needs at its core.

As a world-leading provider of single-use surgical and wound care products, we can only be successful by listening to our customers and understanding their needs. As a Swedish company, we understand that our customers have high expectations of us in terms of sustainability.

Our passion for meeting our customers’ needs and expectations drives our appetite for innovation, our focus on quality and our approach to corporate responsibility. Our sustain-ability approach is fundamental to that. It is why the 2015 edition of Mölnlycke Health Care magazine is subtitled Sustainable business, sustainable life.

Our business will only be sustainable if we innovate to meet customers’ needs. Listening to what customers want has led to innovations such as our revolutionary Negative Pressure Wound Therapy products – as you will see in the article on page 15. Our focus on customer needs is also why we will be offering seven of our advanced wound care products through CVS Health pharmacies in the US (page 35). It is inherent in our approach to training clinicians in developing countries such as China, Brazil and Saudi Arabia in the latest techniques for wound management (page 51).

Our sustainability approach and focus on customer needs have enabled us to develop our reputation for quality too. Our customers want our products to be safe, effective and sustainable. So we set rigorous standards for our products for ourselves – and for our suppliers (page 42).

But beyond our reputation for quality, one of the trends I observed when I joined the company was the increasing requirement for our sustainability approach to be recorded and outlined. We have strict standards and policies for preventative health and safety (page 9) – an approach that is particularly evident at our factory in Malaysia (page 21), which is leading the way.

The company has also numerous initiatives to prevent harm to the environment – whether to eliminate potentially harmful chemicals from our products (page 29) or keep waste to a minimum (page 25). Our appetite for sustainability goes hand in hand with our customers’ desire for us to make savings. Efficient supply chain management reduces our costs and brings us closer to our customers – while keeping our carbon footprint low (page 37).

Although the increased formality of our sustainability approach reflects our response to customer needs, corporate social responsibility has always mattered to us. We are proud that our relationship with our global charity partner, Operation Smile, (page 17), has now lasted for more than ten years.

As a company, we have always thrived by listening to our customers and learning from what they tell us in order to continuously improve what we do. Mölnlycke Health Care magazine is testament to that. Please keep engaging with us via your usual Mölnlycke Health Care contact, or on Facebook or Twitter.

Richard Twomey Chief Executive Officer

MÖLNLYCKE HEALTH CARE MAGAZINE

3 4

A PASSION FOR SOCIAL

RESPONSIBILITYAt Mölnlycke Health Care, we are passionate about making life better

for patients and customers – and social responsibility is in the company’s DNA. Anders Karlsson, the Global Director for Environment, Health and Safety and for Business Process Excellence, explains what this

means for him and for the company.

SOCIAL RESPONSIBILITY

65


For Anders and for Mölnlycke Health Care, having a sustainable business means playing the long game. “You cannot expect to be in business for more than a couple of years without being socially responsible. Our products have to be safe for patients and cus-tomers. We must also be ethical and look after the health and safety of our employees, both in our factories and our offices. If you take that to its logical conclusion, we also need to play an active role in the community through being socially responsible as a company.”

The environmental side is personal for Anders. Like many Swedes, he feels a close connection to the countryside. “I grew up on Gotland, an island in the middle of the Baltic Sea. Gotland has long sandy beaches and is a very popular place for tourists during summer. But during the early nineties, the Baltic Sea had a huge algae problem, thanks to overuse of fertilisers. You could not bathe in the sea because it was poisonous.

“Industry can wreak havoc on the environ-ment. So looking after the environment makes good business sense in the long term. There is a close connection with the next genera-tion, too. They need us to consider our CO2 emissions and how we manage waste from our factories.”

Passionate about qualityAnders takes a similarly people-focused approach to Business Process Excellence,

his other role. “I am passionate about quality. We make products for people, and we have to have rigorous processes to do that properly. Every process we have in the company – from ensuring the health and safety of our employ-ees, to assessing suppliers or testing the safety of our products – comes down to quality.”

He has seen what can happen when you do not follow processes. “Back in 1991, long before I came to Mölnlycke Health Care, I worked in a nuclear power plant, where safety was paramount. My mentor there was an extraordinary man – and he taught me a lot. But one day, he failed to follow the proper processes for decompressing the enclosure of the reactor. The difference in pressure between inside and outside dragged him into some machinery and he was killed. I think of him often. That is why I have made it my life’s work to prevent accidents and protect people.”

Doing the right thingAnders is not alone at Mölnlycke Health Care in his passion for humanity. “In the company, we have a saying: ‘Life – proud to be part of it’, because we recognise that everything we do, whoever we are, has an impact on people’s lives. That is why – right from the beginning of product development – we think about patient safety and the impact on the environment.”He goes on to connect the corporate cul-ture to its Swedish heritage: “Our company values – passion, learning and integrity – are

all about doing the right thing. For exam-ple, we treat our suppliers absolutely fairly. But we audit them regularly and we will not work with people whose standards are not good enough. That reflects our Swedishness and our company culture.”

The fact that Mölnlycke Health Care is Swedish also explains why none of this is new for the company, as Anders says: “Swedes are naturally interested in social responsibility and the environment – and that extends out around the world from our headquarters in Gothenburg. We have had environmental certification ISO 14001 since February 2002 and an Environment, Health and Safety pro-gramme for several years.”

Meeting ethical standards Every year, the company’s approach to social responsibility becomes more and more for-mal. “Nowadays, we are finding that custom-ers are starting to expect us to have global health and safety, ethical and environment certificates for tenders,” says Anders. “If all goes well, the company will achieve both global ISO 14001 and 45001 certifications by the end of 2017 – and we will be signing up to the Ethical Trading Initiative code soon.”

Anders is enthusiastic about the company’s future as a socially responsible business. “The fact that our customers are asking for it makes us want to do even better. I am excited about what we can achieve if we put our minds to it.”

“I am in this job because I care about people, I take a very personal view of social

responsibility – both because of my life experience and because of what it means

to the company.”

Anders Karlsson

Above Anders oversees safe working on the factory floor.

Top and right Anders’s commitment to environmental and social responsibility is rooted in his upbringing on Gotland, an island famous for its natural beauty.

All the paper used in this magazine is FSC certified and 100% recycled

7 8

MÖLNLYCKE HEALTH CARE MAGAZINE SOCIAL RESPONSIBILITY

When Mölnlycke Health Care launched its employee engagement survey in 2010, it was a mainly office-based, white-collar event. By 2014, it had expanded to cover the company’s entire global workforce – including more than 4,000 blue-collar factory employees from Finland to Malaysia.

Achieving this was no small undertaking. With so many of our people working on production lines, or as sales reps out on the

road, getting everyone’s feedback is not always easy. It meant translating the survey into more than 40 languages and creating a tablet-friendly version so that everyone could access it. We also made sure everyone had time to complete the questionnaire during working hours.

But Maarten van Beek, Executive Vice P re s i d e n t o f Hu m a n R e s o u rc e s a n d Cor porate Communications, is in no doubt that the extra effort was worthwhile: “Our people are our greatest assets and our best ambassadors. What they do comes out in the quality of the products and services

we provide and the outcomes we help to achieve for patients. That is why it is so important that everyone who works for us is engaged and motivated, from the shop floor to global HQ.”

A huge response The decision to expand the survey was rewarded with a huge response – no fewer than 98 percent of employees completed the questionnaire. “It is amazing that so many people wanted to be involved,” says Maarten. “The response alone suggests that our employees are enthusiastic about their work. But you can also see this in the results: 86 percent of people say they are proud to work for the company and 90 percent feel that their jobs are meaningful.”

Informing global strategyThere were some issues that needed tackling, as Maarten explains: “Where people were less certain was around the company’s overall strategy and how their work connects with that.”

Since the survey, Mölnlycke Health Care has launched a new global strategy for the next five years to 2020. The company has also introduced new High Performance Behaviours, a set of standards designed to help employees to become even better at what they do.

Maarten is confident that these help to explain how their work fits with the compa-ny’s overall direction: “People have more clarity now. Although we are going through

a period of change, which can be difficult, we know more about where we are going as a company and what is expected of us as individual employees.”

Local insightsAs well as global and strategic insights, the survey also provides detailed feedback at country level which helps local managers to support their employees and improve the way they work.

For Corinne Savestre, Human Resources Director in France, the survey is a key oppor-tunity to engage with a team of around 180 sales reps and office employees. “The results give us important insights. For example, the 2014 survey showed that 95 percent of our people know what is expected of them. That tells me that our communication and line management structures are working, which is important when many employees are constantly on the road.

“It helps us to start a conversation, under-stand what is happening with our people and what they need to help them to be their best. Line managers hold follow-up meetings with each team to talk about any issues raised and find solutions. For exam-ple, in 2014 stress emerged as an issue for some employees. So we set up a working group to examine why this was happening and what extra support we could offer. As a result, we have adjusted some work patterns and provided a professional counselling service that employees can call with work or personal issues 24/7.”

A GLOBAL CONVERSATION

A great company is the sum of all its people – which is why we go the extra mile to find out what our employees think, on five

continents and in more than 40 languages.

“86% of people say they are proud to work

for the company and 90% feel that their jobs

are meaningful.”Maarten Van Beek

9 10

MÖLNLYCKE HEALTH CARE MAGAZINE EMPLOYEE ENGAGEMENT

Health and safety coordinator Marcia Norris knew she had achieved something when she walked into the Wiscasset, USA, factory without her safety glasses. Several employees immediately reminded her to put them on.

Although Marcia’s role does not strictly require protective eyewear, the factory’s health and safety team had decided they should be worn by all employees and in all areas – and Marcia was no exception.

It was a sign that health and safety had gone beyond process and procedure to become part of everyday thinking. “I was more than happy to be reminded,” says Marcia, “knowing that health and safety aware-ness had become such a habit among my colleagues. It reflects our commitment to high standards across the board.”

USA: Doing it for the teamThe Wiscasset health and safety team is made up of employees from across the factory, including managers and production

employees. Supported by Marcia, they meet regularly to review performance, discuss ideas and decide actions.

This joint effor t is reaping rewards. Between 2012 and 2014 the number of lost-time accidents (LTAs) – accidents that result in time away from work – at the factory fell from four to two. In the same period, the number of lost-time days (LTDs) – all the individual sick days caused by acci-dents – fell from 454 to 131.

Watching the near missesSimilar teams have been set up in all Mölnlycke Health Care factories around the world, helping to drive higher stand-ards and prevent accidents. Key to this is a focus on “near miss” reporting – spotting potential accidents before they happen.

“We encourage everyone to speak up if they see something they think could cause a hazard,” explains Anders Karlsson, Global Director for Environment, Health and Safety. “There is a genuine ‘no blame’

culture. We would much rather know about a problem early, before it turns into an accident or anyone gets hurt.”

Finland: Turning ideas into realityA near miss reported by an employee at our Mikkeli factory in Finland is a good example. Jarkko Tujula, the factory ’s health, safety and environment specialist, explains: “My colleague Heikki Heiskanen saw a lamination reel fall two metres on to the floor where he had just walked. It was pushed out of place by a fork-lift truck load-ing reels from the other side of the storage unit. No one was hurt – but any kind of close call is one too many. A simple vertical bar installation now prevents the same accident ever happening again.”

This solution has been adopted at all Mölnlycke Health Care factories worldwide, wherever we have this kind of storage unit. “Good ideas are shared across the company, so when one of our sites makes a safety improvement, it can be applied to others around the world,” says Anders Karlsson.

“We also encourage people to put good ideas on Sharepoint, the online file-sharing platform, so everyone can see them.” This bottom-up approach to health and safety is a big part of the company’s Environment, Health and Safety programme for the next two years.

“It was a sign that health and safety had gone beyond process and procedure to become part

of everyday thinking.”Marcia Norris

BelowAn idea from an employee in Finland led to extra safety protection on storage racks, which has now been adopted worldwide.

Opposite US Health and Safety Coordinator Marcia Norris empowers her colleagues to take ownership of health and safety.

GETTING THE SAFETY HABIT

Spotting potential accidents before they happen is becoming second nature for teams in our factories – who are now leading

a drive to embed high standards of preventative health and safety across the company.

12

MÖLNLYCKE HEALTH CARE MAGAZINE HEALTH AND SAFETY

11

As part of its global Environment, Health and Safety programme, Mölnlycke Health Care has set ambitious objectives to be achieved by 2017, including: • No more than two LTAs per million

working hours • No more than 20 LTDs per million

working hours • 75 percent of near misses to be

corrected within one month.

Achieving common goals “While we expect all our operations to meet these targets, it is up to them how they achieve them,” explains Anders. Each site will also be asked to identify their top local priorities and to set targets to deliver

them. “Our factories are spread across three continents and many time zones. So it is right that we recognise local cultures and circumstances and work with our people in each location to achieve common goals.”

Thailand: Raising the standardMölnlycke Health Care’s factories inThailand have recently been certified with OSHA 18001 – the sixth of our loca-tions to achieve the international stand-ard for health and safety management. Assistant Safety and Occupational Health Manager Khwanchai Yiamchaiyaphum was part of the team that spent nine months working towards certification. “We looked at everything from machinery and tools to

working environments, and made changes wherever necessary,” he says. “We also visited one of the company’s Malaysian factories to learn from them, as they had already achieved the standard. I feel proud that now we can say with certainty to col-leagues, customers and suppliers that you will be safe when you work here or visit us.”

Aiming for ISO 45001Mölnlycke Health Care’s aim is to achieve OSHA 18001 at all of its 11 global sites by the end of 2017, before the standard is replaced by the new ISO 45001. “That would mean we would automatically upgrade to the new standard as a company, which would be a great achievement,” says Anders Karlsson.

Czech Republicquieter carts win hearts When you work in a factory, you expect some noise. But if the decibels go above a certain level, it can be irritating and even unhealthy. At our Karviná factory, several employees reported that the carts used for transporting finished goods were so noisy that it disturbed their concentration.

“When we investigated it, we found out that the problem came from the metal wheels, 200 of them in total on 50 carts,” explains Health and Safety Engineer Simona Janickova. “Technicians tested eight alternative types of wheels but none of them were right. So our suppliers custom-made new wheels just for us, with exchangeable bearings and a rim made from gum, which is much quieter. Everyone is happy with the new solution – and the calmer work environment.”

Opposite page and left Health and Safety Engineer Simona Janickova at work.

Above and belowEmployees at Karvina are happy with the new quieter cart wheels which have eliminated the factory’s noise problem.

Last year there were less than 2 lost time accidents per 1,000,000working hours

13 14

MÖLNLYCKE HEALTH CARE MAGAZINE HEALTH AND SAFETY

The test of a great innovation is that you cannot imagine life without it . From astonishing discoveries such as the inter-net to the humble washing machine, innovations weave themselves into the fabric of our lives, so we do not know how we would manage without them.

At Mölnlycke Health Care, we are proud that some of our ideas have become a part of life for millions of people. Our wound care dressings were the first to use the conformable properties of soft silicone to form a gentle, easily removed adhesive – in the form of Safetac® technology.

A revolution in wound careSafetac caused a quiet revolution in wound care. Before we invented it, it was very dif-ficult to remove a dressing from a chronic wound without causing pain, discomfort and, quite possibly, further damage. Now millions of patients not only heal faster, they are also released from the fear and dread of dressing changes.

Our newest innovations for 2015 carry on this mission to reduce pain and improve healing. For example, Exufiber dressings will bring relief to patients with high-exuding wounds, such as ulcers and acute wounds, which have traditionally been harder to manage.

New fibre technologyExufiber’s unique Hydrolock technology uses strong polyvinyl alcohol fibres that mesh together mechanically, like a fine wire net. This not only helps to absorb and retain

exudate for a moist healing environment, it also gives high tensile strength, so dressings can be removed in one piece. The result is faster dressing changes, less pain, better healing and less risk of contamination.

What lies behind Safetac, Exufiber and all our other innovations is a desire to improve lives and meet customer and patient needs. Inspired by these principles, Mölnlycke Health Care is now refocusing on innova-tion to ensure that we continue to create transformative new products into the future. The next generation of ideasThis drive will be led by Barry McBride, our new Executive Vice-President of Innovation and Technology, who has a 20-year back-ground in developing, making and marketing medical devices. His plan is to create a hub for ideas within the company. He will draw on a wide range of talents, not just inventors and scientists, but also the people who make and sell our products – and, crucially, the customers who give us their feedback.

“By joining up these different groups, we will be able to better spot those ideas which will make a big difference to customers and patients,” he says.

What our customers want“We will focus on the product areas and issues that really matter to our customers. For example, we will have a new team devoted to finding solutions for hospital-acquired conditions, a big concern for healthcare providers today.

“Another priority is looking for crossovers and synergies between our wound care and surgical products. For example, could we use some of Safetac’s adhesive properties to improve our surgical drapes? Perhaps if we share knowledge and learning, there’s a great new product there that is just waiting to emerge.

“Once we have found our star products of the future, we will focus on making them happen. That means we will do fewer research and development projects but really follow through on the product ideas we think will fly.”

Proud to be an innovatorBarry is proud of his new job and the oppor-tunity it gives him to make a difference. “I have worked in other industries and enjoyed them. But in healthcare, you get the chance to make a positive contribution to society and humanity, while also creating success and employment. That is something very special.”

PROBLEM SOLVED

Over the years, our innovations have improved the lives of millions of patients around the world.

Now we are drawing on this inspiration in a drive to find the next generation of transformative surgical

and wound care products.

BelowTwo of our newest wound care innovations, Mepilex® XT (below) and Exufiber® (bottom), which absorbs exudate through its unique Hydrolock technology.

Barry McBride finds a solution.

15 16

MÖLNLYCKE HEALTH CARE MAGAZINE INNOVATION

For two decades, Negative Pressure Wound Therapy (NPWT) has been the gold-standard treatment for highly exuding, complex wounds. By drawing out fluids and stimulating blood flow with a pump, NPWT promotes healing. But until recently, the therapy was also associated with skin stripping around the wound – and pain and stress for patients.

It was when Mölnlycke Health Care in-troduced the Avance system with Safetac technology that people began to see NPWT in a new light. Tissue Viability Lead Nurse Simon Hall is responsible for overseeing the management of complex wounds in adults and children at University Hospitals Bristol NHS Foundation Trust in the UK: “Before, the film dressings which affix the pump to the wound were prone to excoriat-ing people’s skin. The adhesive nature of the film and the frequency of dressing changes could make removing a dressing incredibly painful and upsetting. Now we have the op-tion of Safetac film with the Avance system – and the outcomes are very positive.”

The Avance system makes the biggest dif-ference during dressing changes, as Simon explains: “One of my patients is a young boy with a recurrent skin disease. The disease leads to large wounds that require NPWT and dressing changes every three or four days.”

“This young boy first developed significant wounds when he was nine years old. He found dressing changes so distressing that we had to sedate him and take him to the

operating theatre. There were so many risks associated with that – but because Avance with Safetac was not available in our hos-pital then, it was the only solution we had.”

Less painful dressing changes“Now he is 12 and, due to disease progres-sion, he has developed new wounds. This time, dressing changes are easier and less painful for him. Because we now use the Safetac film with the Avance system, we can change his dressings at his bedside. He requires no sedation, no theatre time and no theatre team. It is also significantly less stressful for his parents, who previously had to watch their child being sedated and taken to theatre. Now he is up and about quickly afterwards. His mood is better, he eats and drinks more and he is much more active – all of which leads to faster healing. And the wound is exposed for less time, re-ducing the risk of infection.”

Mölnlycke Health Care’s Avance system with Safetac makes the transition from hospital to the community easier too. “We are able to discharge patients from hospital earlier,” says Simon. “Patients feel confi-dent about going home while still undergo-ing NPWT. As they have been awake and involved in their wound care, they know what to expect – so they can be managed more easily at home.”

A caring collaborationFollowing the launch of Avance in the USA, Mölnlycke Health Care is also now making the Avance system available for patients in the homecare market. Steve Atlay, Glob-

al Business Director for NPWT explains: “We have set up a partnership with Apria Healthcare, who care for patients in their homes across America. Together we want to change the way wounds are healed at home.”

“By making Avance available for home use, we know we can have an enormous impact on patients’ quality of life,” says Steve. “The Avance system really is changing the way people think about NPWT. We are ex-cited to be in a position to offer it across the continuum of care.”

Early feedback from Apria’s clinicians is very favourable: “Wound care nurses and physicians find Safetac technology incredibly easy to use,” says Jeff Johnson, Vice President of Business Development at Apria Healthcare. “They can reposition Avance Film with Safetac easily – with no loss of adhesion. And there is less waste as it does not fold in on itself and get ruined.”

The patient experience is also very posi-tive: “Safetac technology has only been available here for a short while, and we are already hearing stories of patients whose lives have been transformed by it,” he

says. “Mölnlcyke Health Care and Apria Healthcare represent the ide-al collaboration of healthcare exper-tise in negative pressure wound therapy.”

With the Avance® Negative Pressure Wound Therapy (NPWT) system, Mölnlycke Health Care has transformed the experience of patients requiring negative

pressure. Now Avance is available to a new group of customers – patients in the homecare setting in the United States, through our partner Apria Healthcare.

MAKING A POSITIVE

DIFFERENCE

Tissue viability nurse Simon Hall has seen huge improvements in comfort for patients using the Avance NPWT system with Safetac technology (left).

17


18

MÖLNLYCKE HEALTH CARE MAGAZINE HOMECARE

Mölnlycke Health Care has long been commit-ted to helping people in need, and 2014 marked the tenth anniversary of our involvement with our global charity partner Operation Smile, a US-based charity that offers free cleft palate sur-gery for children in developing countries. What underpins the success of that relationship – just as with the other charities and organisations we support – is a shared ethos, common goals and a deep commitment on both sides to improving people’s lives.

“These types of initiatives are part of Mölnlycke Health Care’s DNA,” says Rob Rayl, General Manager US, who sits on the board of DEBRA, another of our significant charity partners. “Supporting charities and community organ-isations is an extension of our commitment to ensuring that every patient who can benefit from our products gets that opportunity. It is also demonstrably the right thing to do for the healthcare professionals, patients and custom-ers we are privileged to serve. I believe that focusing on social responsibility as well as on

our commercial priorities is good for everyone involved.”

There are the obvious practical benefits: people who might not otherwise be able to access medical care get the help they need, whether that is through Operation Smile or through any of the other initiatives Mölnlycke Health Care supports around the world (see map on page 19). But there are also the benefits to our employees – and by extension to the company as a whole.

“Having the opportunity to invest personally in these projects is a way for our employees to get closer to patients and end-users,” says Rob.

“It helps us to see that our work is meaningful. We learn from it, too, both in the sense of understanding the patient journey, and in terms of our people bringing new solutions back to the business. When we share our experiences with colleagues, the pride and the passion we have for helping others really shine through.”

JOINING FORCES

“Supporting charities and community organisations is an extension of our commitment to ensuring that every

patient who can benefit from our products gets that opportunity.”

Rob Rayl

By committing time, energy and expertise as well as resources, Mölnlycke Health Care is building strong links with charities and

community organisations around the world as part of its deep commitment to social responsibility.

Operation Smile provides life-changing surgery for thousands of children like these around the world.

19


20

COMMUNITY

Burn Camps Burn Camps are an invaluable resource for burns survivors, giving them a therapeutic and recreational space where they can come together to share their experiences and simply relax and have fun. Mölnlycke Health Care supports Burn Camps across the US, both by providing products such as beach towels, lip balm and water bottles and by giving employees the opportunity to volunteer, including as camp counsellors and mentors.

DEBRAMölnlycke Health Care supports the work of DEBRA in helping people with the painful skin condition epidermolysis bullosa (EB). In the US, we support a range of initiatives including DEBRA’s monthly Wound Care Clearinghouse, which distributes essential wound care supplies to people in financial difficulty, and the charity’s Family Crisis Fund.

UKIn the UK, the Mölnlycke Health Care communications team completed a 24-mile canoeing challenge, braving rapids and tricky conditions, to raise money for DEBRA.

MóvilSolidarioEmployees are collecting old mobile phones in support of the MóvilSolidario project, which uses the money generated to support scientific research into Sanfilippo syndrome and tackle world hunger.

AMREF: Stand Up For African MothersFor every BARRIER® EasyWarm® blanket sold, Mölnlycke Health Care in Italy donated EUR 1 to the Stand Up For African Mothers project, which aims to tackle high levels of maternal mortality by training 15,000 obstetricians in Africa.

Facing AfricaUK-based account manager Heather Stead joined the Facing Africa team on a mission to Ethiopia. The charity performs complex facial reconstructive surgery on victims of noma, a devastating gangrenous disease caused by malnutrition and poor hygiene. Mölnlycke Health Care also provides support for the charity’s regular biannual missions in the form of surgical products.

ABIO and Cooperativa Radici nel FiumeColleagues in Italy supported a local charity, ABIO, which trains volunteers to work with children who are spending time in hospitals and their families, by buying Christmas gifts from the charity. Funds raised during a Christmas lottery went to the Cooperativa, which helps young people with learning difficulties to develop the skills they need to find work.

THE VOLUNTEERS’ STORYEnvironment and Quality Coordinator Cristina Angulo and QA laboratory team leader Niina Paunonen joined an Operation Smile mission in Asunción, Paraguay, in March 2014.

Middle and bottom Niina Paunonen and Christina Angulo with some of the children they helped during their Operation Smile mission in Paraguay. Both women are eager to work with the charity again.

For both Cristina and Niina, the decision to apply for the mission – which delivered life-changing surgery to 119 patients, both children and adults – was driven by a desire to make a difference. “I felt very strongly that the patients we would be treating deserved the chance to find their way in life without being discriminated against for their appearance,” says Niina. “I waited three years to be accepted, so it was my dream for a long time!”

The experience has clearly left a lasting impression. “I work in finance, and I had never been on the front line before,” says Cristina. “It was amazing to see our products in action. The team were using our gloves, and tried out our drapes and gowns too! It really brought home to me just how important it is to be safe and secure and comfortable in a demanding working environment.”

For Niina, watching the Operation Smile team at work highlighted the importance

of working towards a shared goal. “I was amazed by how quickly this group of volunteers formed themselves into a team. They all brought their different experiences and perspectives, but they came with passion and they were all completely focused on making that mission a success. There is definitely a lesson in there!”

Both agree that they would strongly recommend the Operation Smile experience to their colleagues – and that they would welcome the opportunity to join another mission themselves. For Niina, it has rekindled her desire to explore more of the medical side of Mölnlycke Health Care’s business and, in her words, “to move closer to the patients.” Cristina echoes the sentiment. “Lots of companies give products or money to charity,” she says. “But there are not so many that also give you the opportunity to actually do something that improves people’s lives. I learned such a lot, and it makes me happy and proud to be working here.”

How our people and our products are making a difference to communities and individuals around the world.

Operation Smile 2014 marked the 10th anniversary of Mölnlycke Health Care’s involvement with Operation Smile. In total, we have donated nearly 1,400,000 pairs of Biogel® surgical gloves as well as contributing to the cost of missions. To date, nearly 40 of our people have taken part in Operation Smile missions around the world.

COMMUNITY

21 22


GOING THE EXTRA

MILEA wide range of practical initiatives combined with a

deep commitment to ethical employment practices is creating a dynamic, high-quality working environment

at our factories in Malaysia.

At Mölnlycke Health Care’s manufacturing sites in Malaysia, some 1,900 employees, 94 percent of them blue collar, work across three locations – at Kulim, Batang Kali and Kuala Ketil – making Biogel gloves for export worldwide. Together with the local management team, HR Manager Ramesh Ayaroo is responsible for ensuring that they are all treated fairly and in line with our Code of Conduct.

Compliance with global standards, both internal (like the Code of Conduct) and external – includ-ing a comprehensive range of ISO standards, the OHSAS 18001 standard for occupational health and safety and the standards set by the International Labour Organization – as well as local labour laws is vitally important to the smooth running of the factories and the ethical treatment of employees. “Everything we do in our Malaysian factories is based on written, documented procedures,” explains Ramesh, “and we are continually work-ing to improve. For example, we have recently been looking into SA8000, a new global stand-ard for social accountability in the workplace, and feel confident that we could put together a successful application for certification.”

A culture of qualityImportant though it is, compliance is far from being the whole story. As Ramesh says: “If you want to attract and retain the best people, and create a working culture that promotes

high productivity and high quality, you need to go further, and give people the opportunity to make a difference.”

Excellent facilities and conditions form an impor tant par t of the package for employees. Salaries are highly competitive, and all employees on the factory floor are provided with appropriate clothing, which is maintained by the in-house laundry.

“We provide areas for resting, changing rooms, prayer rooms and a cafeteria,” says Ramesh. “There is also transport for workers living outside the area, and free medical care – including regular check-ups for those handling chemicals.”

Employee consultationA strong joint consultative committee ensures that employees at all levels have a voice. Indeed, a number of recent changes in the factory have come about as a direct result of requests channelled through the committee. As Ramesh explains: “We have recently adapted the clean room entrance changing facilities for pregnant women.

“We have also introduced new equipment to automate some of the more repetitive tasks and carried out a review of various employee initiatives, including our wellness pro-gramme.” Regular employee engagement surveys also help to highlight any issues, and follow-up action plans are carefully implemented and monitored.

FOCUS ON MALAYSIA

24


23

Other initiatives have focused specifically on health and safety, as Safety, Health and Environment Manager Segaran Veerayah explains. “Everyone knows that health and safety is a high priority,” he says. “That starts right at the top. There is a strong commitment from our general manager and the rest of the senior management team which includes playing an active role in our monthly factory audits. You see the impact every day – people feel valued, so they are happy and proud to come to work.”

A safe workplaceWith robust procedures in place throughout the factory, the team is now focusing on trying to further reduce the number of accidents on

the factory floor – which stands at four last year compared with a typical annual figure of around 20 in the mid-1990s.

“Through regular workstation assessments and ongoing audits, we are continually identifying areas for improvement,” says Segaran. “We are also building a culture where people accept and share responsibility for what happens. There is as much to learn from a ‘near miss’ as from an accident that actually happens. Now we are encouraging people to report these incidents, so that we can investigate, identify the cause and come up with an action plan to stop it happening again. There is no blame – it is all part of building a strong, safety-conscious culture.”

This approach reflects the broader working culture across the whole of Mölnlycke Health Care worldwide. Employees at all levels are encouraged to develop personally and profes-sionally, and to realise their potential.

Career opportunitiesIndeed, both Ramesh and Segaran are long-standing employees, whose careers have spanned many different areas of the business and allowed them to pro-gress within the company. Segaran has worked his way up from lab technician to a management role across all three Malaysian sites.

“We work hard to give people opportunities at every level,” says Ramesh. “Around 70 per-cent of our vacancies are filled internally. We have lots of examples of people coming in as operators and being promoted to supervisory and managerial roles.”

The impact of that is felt in retention rates – Ramesh estimates that about half the employees across the three sites have been with the company for at least five years. But it is also obvious in the atmosphere. “This is an environment that engages people and motivates them,” says Ramesh. “When people feel they are making a difference, they will give their best.”

Top left Every box of Biogel gloves is quality checked before shipping.

Bottom left Segaran Veerayah is proud of the factory’s very low accident rate.

Above rightSyarifah Mohd Mokhtar oversees production of surgical gloves. Flexible shift work helps her balance her roles as employee and mother.

“When people feel they are making a difference, they

will give their best.”Ramesh Ayaroo

Process controller Syarifah Mohd Mokhtar has worked at Mölnlycke Health Care’s Kulim factory for 11 years.

“I work a six-day week, on three rotating shifts. Typically, that means working 56 hours a week, including eight hours’ scheduled overtime. Working shifts means I can spend time with my three children when I get home – that is important to me as a working mother. My supervisor is also understanding when I need time off for a school visit or if one of the children is sick. I get 23 days’ annual leave and very good medical care.

“I am very happy here. I used to work in an electronics factory and when it closed down, my supervisor encouraged me to apply to Mölnlycke Health Care as he had heard good things about the company. I was surprised when I joined because the atmosphere was very different. In my old factory it was all about machines; here, it is all about people. There is a lot of care and attention paid to safety and training, so there are fewer accidents.

“I am in charge of the stock-keeping unit, so I get a handover report from the night-shift team then brief the morning team. Our output during an eight-hour shift is 54 lots of surgical gloves, each almost 84 kilograms in weight, which translates to almost 4,700 pieces per lot. It is hard but satisfying work and I realise how important it is for us to do our job well.

“At one point, I briefly left the company for another job, but after six months I returned because the benefits here were so much better. I feel respected and valued. We are trained and developed, and I am a real-life example of how we can rise within the ranks. In January 2015 I was promoted to the role of manufacturing supervisor. It means an increase in salary, but, more importantly, my family and my husband are proud of what I am achieving here – and that makes me very happy.”

Inspection operator Siti Haidah Abdul Talib has worked at Mölnlycke Health Care’s Kuala Ketil factory for 14 years.

“I have been here for a long time, so you can tell I must like my job! I am the main wage earner in my family, and we have three children so my salary is very important to us. Before I joined Mölnlycke Health Care, I used to work in my village, making and selling kuih [local cakes] to the neighbours.

“When I first started, I was apprehensive because it was a big foreign-owned factory, but it was a good decision. The allowances, generous annual leave, regular bonus, free medical care and staff facilities are very good.

“I also like working here because I feel appreciated. We get trained to do our jobs well, and we are always told where the products we make are going.

“As an inspection operator, I receive the appropriate documentation. Then I load the surgical gloves into the machine to check that they are up to our high standards. We look for any defects before the gloves are sent to the automatic packing machines. It is important to work in a sterile environment and we wear protective gear supplied by the company, to keep us and the products safe.

“I know how important my job is. It gives me a sense of pride to think that the gloves I am checking today will be packed and shipped to other countries around the world. Those gloves will then be used during an important operation that could save someone’s life. My family is very proud of my work and I am proud too: because I do it well.”

“My old factory it was all about machines; here, it is all about people.”

Siti Haidah

6 OF OUR 11 SITES HAVE OHSAS 18001 CERTIFICATION

FOCUS ON MALAYSIA

25 26


WAR ON WASTE

Precious metal is not something you normally expect to find in the recycling, unless you work at our Mikkeli factory in Finland – where it is part of our mission to keep waste to a minimum.

WASTE REDUCTIONMÖLNLYCKE HEALTH CARE MAGAZINE

2827

Top An employee collecting waste plastic ready for recycling.

Above We collect and recycle almost all waste material created during manufacturing.

Opposite page Jarkko Tujula (pictured right) is proud of his factory’s efforts to reuse or recycle everything from packaging to pallets in the drive to reduce waste.

RightNew strong thin cardboard in our boxes saves 80 tonnes of material a year.

of our waste is recycled

Along with the regular items such as paper, plastic, glass and bio matter recycled at the company’s factory in Mikkeli, there is one rather special kind of material – silver.

If this sounds odd, there is a simple explan- ation. Mikkeli is one of the sites where we make Mepilex wound care dressings, which use tiny amounts of silver in the foam layer to promote faster healing. Any microscopic flecks in the scraps left over after manufac-turing are separated and collected for reuse.

The process is just one example of Mölnlycke Health Care’s commitment to reduce waste – wherever possible, we reuse it, recycle it or burn it for energy, with landfill used only as a last resort.

Reducing waste to landfill At Mikkeli, this drive has resulted in a big drop in total waste sent to landfill, from 20 kilograms per tonne of finished product in

2007 to less than 2.8 kilograms per tonne in 2014 – a reduction of more than 85 per-cent. During the same period, the amount of hazardous waste also fell from around 13 kilograms per tonne of product to just over 5 kilograms.

The factory team reuse whatever they can – for example, when materials are delivered from suppliers, the company keeps the pallets on which they arrived and reuses them to transport products to customers.

“These measures demonstrate our integrity when it comes to waste reduction, but they also make practical sense,” says Jarkko Tujula, the factory’s health, safety and environment specialist. “It is good for the business, too, as less waste ultimately means lower costs.”

On a company-wide level, we work with our suppliers to prevent waste at source by reduc-ing the amount of material that goes into our

products and packaging. For example, in the recent “grammage down” project, the aim was to reduce the amount of cardboard in the boxes used to pack our finished products.

Designing waste out of the system “This was quite a challenge,” explains Materials and Packaging Development Manager Anders Dahlberg. “We wanted to reduce the amount of material but without any loss of strength, so we had to change the composition of the cardboard significantly.”

After some trial and error, the company now uses a cardboard that is just as strong but is made from a lot less material – 80 tonnes less per year, which is equivalent to the weight of 50 medium-sized cars.

Cutting waste from production Waste reduction can also go hand in hand with improving quality. At the compa-ny’s Toulouse factory in France, quality tests showed that the top web paper on some ProcedurePak® surgical kits was tearing on opening.

“Even though this did not affect the sterility of the product, we had to find a solution to ensure the kits opened perfectly for our customers,” explains Quality Manager Mathilde Rousselet.

A project was set up to eliminate the root cause of the problem by making changes to the production process. This not only solved the quality issue, it also led to a big reduction in the amount of material wasted during pro-duction, from 7,000 kilograms a year in 2012 to less than 70 kilograms in 2014.

“When materials are delivered from suppliers, the company keeps the pallets on which they arrived and reuses them to

transport products to customers.”Jarkko Tujula

95%

WASTE REDUCTION

29 30


If you see the word phthalates, your first question – after “How do you pronounce it?” – will probably be: “What are they?” But these little-known chemicals are causing increasing concern. They are thought to be potentially harmful to pregnant women and their babies, as well as to some animal life.

Phthalates are used as a softening agent in a huge variety of common household items, from plastic containers to garden hoses. There is mounting evidence about their side effects – yet very few of these chemicals have been banned or restricted.

Going phthalate-freeThey have, however, been eliminated from all of Mölnlycke Health Care’s wound care products and packaging. This is one of the successes of the company’s traffic-light sys-tem, which screens all materials we use for potentially harmful chemicals.

Under the system, every material undergoes a full composition analysis before we accept it for use. We check every chemical identified against official EU lists of hazardous chem-icals and water pollutants. We also refer to lists produced by the Swedish Environmental Institute, as well as local chemical registers, wherever our factories are based.

Identifying potential hazardsIf anything is potentially harmful – for example, if it contains more than 0.1 percent by weight of any substance on the SVHC (substances of very high concern) list con-trolled under the EU’s REACH (Registration, Evaluation, Authorisation and Restriction of Chemicals) regulations – it is flagged as a red light and we either replace it immediately or work to find a greener alternative. If the potential harm is small or we are unsure about a chemical and need to investigate further, the material is classified amber. If no trace of any harmful chemicals is found, the material gets a green light.

Eliminating potential harmBy following this systematic process, the company often goes beyond what is required by law. For example, phthalates are legally still allowed in plastic containers – but work began to eliminate them from Mölnlycke Health Care PVC materials some time ago.

Materials and Packaging Development Manager Anders Dahlberg explains: “Having researched them, we asked our suppliers to replace them with safer alternatives. Now, everything we produce in wound care is phthalate-free.”

Removing solvent-based adhesives from the wound care products we manufacture is another chemical reduction success. Today, only water-based and solvent-free adhesives are used.

Cleaning without chemicals At the company’s Oldham factory in the UK, the mission to reduce the use of harmful chemicals even extends to cleaning agents. The factory produces Epaderm™ ointment in large mixing vessels which need regular cleaning and sterilisation.

“We replaced environmentally damaging chemicals with a method using high-pres-sure, high-temperature water sprays,” says Environment and Quality Improvement Manager Karl Bamford. “Now the cleaning and sterilisation processes are entirely free of chemicals.”

Any waste that does contain harmful chem-icals is collected, barrelled up and safely disposed of by specialist contractors at all our factories worldwide.

“What is harmful for the environment may also be harmful for patients,” says Anders Dahlberg. “Reducing the use of harmful chemicals goes hand in hand with our core purpose as a company. It is just a natural extension of our mission to prevent harm and promote healing.”

OppositeAnders Dahlberg manages the traffic light system aimed at eliminating harmful chemicals from our factories.

BelowWe check every chemical used in our products and production processes to ensure it is safe to use.TURNING

THE LIGHTS GREEN

A traffic-light system is helping Mölnlycke Health Care to eliminate potentially harmful “red light” chemicals

from our products and processes.

We continuously reduce our use of hazardous chemicals

THE ENVIRONMENT

3231


ProcedurePak trays are a perfect example of a straightforward idea that brings major benefits to our customers.

“ P ro c e d u re Pa k t rays o f f e r s o m a ny advantages,” says Global Marketing Manager Anna Dahlberg. “There are cost savings and efficiency improvements for procurement and management. But perhaps the most striking aspect is the difference they can make to clinical staff.”

Quicker and safer Now, instead of having to pick up 40 or 50 individual items, a nurse can pick up a single colour-coded tray, with just one expiry date, and be 100 percent confident that it contains everything needed for a particular procedure.

“That saves both time and packaging waste, and reduces risk,” says Anna. “In many cases, we can offer cost savings on materials too.”

Meeting customers’ needs By listening to our customers, and working closely alongside them, we can ensure that ProcedurePaks are tailored to their individual requirements.

“Our goal is to create trays that are both site-specific – each hospital has its own way of doing things – and procedure-specific, with all the necessary components in one tray,” says Anna.

Our account managers and clinical specialists spend a lot of time speaking to procurement teams and clinicians – both nurses and surgeons – to ensure that the trays fully meet their needs. “We really believe this is the way to deliver best value to our customers,” says Anna.

Innovating to deliver New technology is supporting this dialogue and helping customers get the most out of their relationship with Mölnlycke Health Care. The Moving Up app, is one example; another is our tray configuration tool OPtimal, which is designed to increase accuracy and speed and maximise value.

“OPtimal offers instant access to more than 4,500 components, with images and all the information needed to create a complete tray,” says Anna. “It’s an incredibly useful innovation. Before, we would have had to make a manual record of the picking list, take that away, design the tray and get sign-off. Now that can all be done in the operating theatre. It is much faster, and it is much more accurate.”

Another innovation that is helping to trim costs and boost efficiency is the introduction of colour-coding for trays. “This helps customers identify the correct tray more quickly,” says Anna, “and eliminates the risk of picking and opening the wrong tray. It also helps them to manage their inventory more efficiently.”

The ProcedurePak team is now working to expand the range of components, to give customers even greater choice.

“One priority area is orthopaedics,” says Anna. “We are particularly focusing on replacement procedures such as hips and knees, where there is an opportunity to introduce customers to our recently launched Pulse Lavage wound cleaning device.

We are also looking at adding our Mepilex Border Post Op dressing, diathermy pencils and skin staplers. This way, we can offer the customer a more cost-effective solution, at the same time as moving our products up the value chain. It is a win-win.”

ProcedurePak package demonstrating the colour coding system.

Left Employees assembling customised ProcedurePaks. The ready-to-use trays save medical teams time and money.

• Mölnlycke Health Care is the European leader in custom procedure trays with more than 30 million trays produced

• Our customers can select from over 4500 qualified components

• ProcedurePak trays are used in more than 4.5 million procedures every year.

The Facts:ProcedurePak Trays

ProcedurePak Green Contents:BNS laparoscopy drape, Op-Tape, tube holder, wire hook l electrode, tray, kidney bowl, vicryl, instrument cleaner, maternity pad, 3 x bowls, insuff tube, hepa filter, 20 x gauze swab, 10 x gauze round, table cover, skin stapler, instrument bag, under-buttocks drape with pouch, retractor hook, suction cannula yankauer, time out drape, scalpel blade, instrument drape, syringe 50ml catheter tip, catheter sil, camera drape, veress needle stopcock, needle counter magnetic, flexible light handle covers, 5 x gauze round sponge, stick sponge orange, diathermy pencil, scalpel holder red, skin marker modern regular tip, syringe, post op dressing, hyp. needle, safety clip, 2 x syringe 10ml, scaple blade no. 10, plastic bag siplock, 5 x gauze lap, 5 x gauze swab, cover chair blue.

TAILOR-MADE FOR CUSTOMERS

Mölnlycke Health Care is the market leader in custom procedure trays with ProcedurePak trays – an innovative solution that highlights

our passion for meeting our customers’ needs.

33 34


33

GETTING CLOSER TO CLINICIANS

THE CLINICIANS’ VIEWS

ProcedurePak trays contribute to a pleasant work environment, less stress and better use of time – in one word, efficiency.”Dr Maurice Mommaerts Maxillofacial Surgeon AZ Sint-Jan Burgge-Oostende AV Bruges, Belgium

We opted to split our trays into specific versions for primary operations and revision procedures. Revision surgery always requires more items that we had to add ourselves. Next to saving time, having everything delivered in a single sterile package also reduces stress, eliminates mistakes and improves patient safety.” Tanja Heikillä OR Nurse Coxa Hospital Tampere, Finland

We certainly save at least ten minutes on the preparations for every operation. That can also be seen in the far shorter set-up and switchover times. All in all, the various process improvements have enabled us to increase the number of surgical procedures while maintaining the same staffing levels.” Susanne Renfer OR Specialist, Kantonsspital Baden Baden, Switzerland

In emergency situations, we can get the material into the OR within one minute. That would be impossible without ProcedurePak trays.”Martijn Bekhuis Logistics Assistant Medisch Spectrum Twente, Netherlands

Thanks to the ProcedurePak trays, we are now able to do in the same working day almost double of what we did 20 years ago.”Dr. Alain Beugnies Head of Orthopaedic Surgery Clinique Saint-Luc Bouge, Belgium

Clinicians from across Europe share their views on the advantages of working with ProcedurePaks

“

“

“

“

“

GETTING CLOSER TO PATIENTS

KEEPING IT PERSONAL

At Mölnlycke Health Care, our work can transform patients’ lives. By striving to understand their experiences,

we reinforce our purpose – to improve lives.

“The closer we are to our patients and clini-cians,” says Cheng Wei Wee, Vice-President, Marketing, Wound Care USA, “the more per-sonal our day-to-day work becomes. Listening to people’s stories of overcoming pain and suffering gives us insight – and centres us as a company.”

“As a leading healthcare devices company, we must never forget that we are here to make a difference,” he goes on. “That’s why we invited the actor, winner of ‘Dancing with the Stars’ and motivational speaker J.R. Martinez to speak at the American Burn Associations 47th Annual Meeting (21 – 24 April 2015, Chicago) and at the Symposium on Advanced Wound Care (29 April– 3 May 2015) in San Antonio.”

For Cheng – and for many others – J.R . Martinez is an inspiration: “He speaks incred-ibly movingly about overcoming pain and trauma. As employees at Mölnlycke Health Care, we come to work in the morning to help people like him. He is an inspiring example of how our leadership purpose can positively impact patient care.”

Actor, winner of ‘Dancing with the Stars’ and motivational speaker J.R. Martinez suffered 34 percent burns after a roadside bomb exploded under his vehicle during the Iraq war.

“I don’t remember anything from the field hospital where I was first treated. A nurse told me later that I was telling them to let me go as I was fine – even though I had third-degree burns all over my body. That was when they made the decision to put me in a medically-induced coma to treat my most serious injuries.

“I was subsequently treated at the Landstuhl Regional Medical Center in Germany and at the specialist burns unit at the San Antonio Military Medical Center in Texas. Over a period of nearly three years, I received numerous skin grafts and underwent a lot of plastic surgery. Although the nurses and doctors did what they could to make me comfortable, my body was extremely sensitive and I experienced a lot of pain and trauma.

“Any burn injury is hard to overcome, mentally as well as physically. But by the end, I was no longer afraid. You draw on your reserves of grit and determination. And you have to make the decision to survive – and not allow a moment of your life to control you forever.”

“He is an inspiring example of how our leadership purpose can positively impact patient care.”

Cheng Wei Wee

J.R. Martinez is an American actor, motivational speaker and former U.S. Army soldier.

35 36


For the last few years, Mölnlycke Health Care has seen growing customer demand for its products in pharmacies and other retail outlets. But until recently, the com-pany’s solutions were only available in clinical settings.

Throughout the wound care journeyThe company started selling its advanced wound dressings through pharmacies in the Nordic countries in 2011. “We wanted to be able to follow patients through the entire wound care journey,” explains Marie-Maximiliame Bergelin, Global Marketing Manager, OTC at Mölnlycke Health Care. “Patients find it very reassuring to be able to continue with the same advanced dressings that their wound care nurses have recommended.”

Recently discharged patients are not the only people buying advanced wound care products off the pharmacy shelves. Pharmacist Reija Koskela from Pharmacy Medena in Helsinki identifies two types of

customer: “Some people come in, knowing exactly what dressing they need as they have used it in hospital. Others are looking for a way to manage a particular type of wound at home. They often need product

recommendations from us – and we rely heavily on training from healthcare devices companies to help us understand the different types of wound, and the most appropriate treatment for them.”

“Pharmacists often recommend dress-ings with Safetac to customers looking for easy-to-use, cost-effective wound care solutions,” says Marie-Maxiliame. “Our dressings minimise pain at dressing change and promote faster healing – and they are very effective. Because they need to be changed less often, you don’t need to use so many of them.”

Understanding patient needsOutside woundcare, the company has made its best-selling emollient Epaderm available through pharmacies and other retail outlets in the UK . “Pharmacists feel comfortable recommending Epaderm because it has the fewest ingredients of any comparable product,” says Dan Dummer, UK Commercial Manager for OTC and Primary Care. “Customers like it too. And when people decide something works for them, they want to be able to get hold of it easily.”

With Epaderm on sale in more than 3,000 UK stores, the company’s understanding

of patients is growing in leaps and bounds. “We know far more thanks to the increased availability of our products,” says Dan. “Now we are changing the way we do things to meet customer needs.”

A quantum leap forwardBut it is in the United States that Mölnlycke Health Care is taking a quantum leap forward in its mission to get closer to consumers. In 2014, the company set up a joint project with retail pharmacy giant CVS Health to make its advanced wound care products with Safetac available through stores.

“I strongly believe that everyone should be able to benefit from the research that has gone

into developing our products,” says Mölnlycke Health Care CEO Richard Twomey. “We have identified a real demand for effective wound care solutions that people can use at home, like Mepilex Border Lite. With around 95% of the US population living within five miles

of a CVS Health pharmacy, this move will make our products more accessible to more of the people who need them.” From the middle of 2015, a co-branded range comprising Mepilex Border Lite®, Mepiform® and Mepitel® Film will be on sale in the First Aid section exclusively in 7,800 CVS Health stores. “This innovation will help us reach even more customers,” says Richard.

AboveExamples of first aid products being sold in CVS stores.

LeftMepilex product being demonstrated to customers.

“I strongly believe that everyone should be able to benefit from the research that has

gone into developing our products”Richard Twomey

For this magazine local photographers were used for all the photo shoots to minimise our carbon footprint.

OVER THE COUNTER

GETTING CLOSER TO PATIENTS

2015 has seen Mölnlycke Health Care take a giant leap forward in its mission to make its world-leading products and solutions

available directly to patients.


3837

ROADS LESS TRAVELLEDBy reducing the distance products travel, our logistics team are not only helping to cut emissions and shrink

our carbon footprint, they are also bringing the company closer to its customers around the world.

Global Logistics Director Clas Bolander.

CO2 REDUCTION

39 40


Below and right Loading finished products at our new factory in Brunswick, USA. By fitting more boxes in each truck, we can make fewer journeys, thus reducing CO2.

Opposite pageA truck full of products on its way to customers.

As a global company with customers on every continent, it is perhaps not surprising that the biggest share of Mölnlycke Health Care’s carbon footprint comes from trans-portation. Every kilometre our products travel on the way to customers adds to our total emissions.

The company has made significant reduc-tions in CO2 from transport in recent years as a result of measures such as switching modes of transport, for example by limit-ing the use of air freight. Nothing is sent by air unless it is absolutely essential to get products to the customer quickly.

In January 2015 we set a new target, to cut CO2 from transport by a further 5 percent by 2017. Global Logistics Director Clas Bolander knows that this saving will be difficult to achieve. But he is confident it can be done and he is committed to working with everyone inside the business – and with our suppliers – to achieve it.

Driving down truck emissions“First, we need to look at the small stuff. The more we fill each truck or container, the fewer journeys we need to make and the less CO2 we will emit. So we are looking at how we package and box our products to fit more on each pallet.”

The company’s Malaysian factories have already worked with local packaging suppli-ers to redesign the boxes for surgical gloves. This means they can fit 10 percent more in the same space on every pallet that is shipped out.

Taking the direct route“On a global level, we need to be smarter and organise things better,” says Clas, “like streamlining our distribution networks so our products take the most direct route possible to reach our customers.”

The logistics team want to minimise long delivery loops, where products visit multi-ple distribution centres in several countries, before reaching the customer. “We want to end up using fewer distribution centres located closer to where customers live. That is good for everyone – for the environment, our customers and our business.”

Making products close to marketAnother way the company is reducing emissions is by manufacturing more products close to their markets. For exam-ple, wound care products for the North American market used to travel all the way from Finland. But now, our new factory in Brunswick, Maine, will supply wound care products to North America.

Not only that, the factory is developing rela-tionships with US suppliers, so that materials can be sourced locally, too.

“In the longer term, we would like to coor-dinate some journeys – so the same trucks that go out with our finished product return with materials for our factories,” says Clas. “We are also looking at using double-decker trucks, which are not yet widely used but have great potential to maximise fill rates and reduce journeys.”

Measuring and planningClas is under no illusions about the work that needs to be done: “Achieving everything we want will take a lot of work and cooperation with colleagues and suppliers. We will need to plan carefully to make sure this does not affect on-time delivery.

“We will also need to get better at measuring and gathering all transport data centrally – so we can monitor our progress and be certain about how much CO2 we are saving.”

But he is sure that the end result will be worth the effort. “If we do these things and get it right, we will not only benefit the envi-ronment, we will also become more efficient and deliver a better service by being closer to our customers.”

600,000DELIVERIES

We made 600,000 deliveries to our partners last year

CO2 REDUCTION

41 42


Mölnlycke Health Care sells only products that meet high levels of quality, safety and environmental responsibility. This is not easy with a large and diverse range of suppliers. But we have strict

procedures for delivering that promise.

“We work with all sorts of suppliers – from logistics companies to the manufacturers of the components in ProcedurePaks,” says Paul Bakker, one of the Strategic Sourcing Managers in the Global Procurement Team.

“Our suppliers see us as a serious company that is very strict with the qualification process. We only work with businesses that understand the importance of continuously providing products, components and services that meet our strict standards.”

Signing up to the StandardPaul’s team is responsible for supplier qual-ification and there is a rigorous assessment and evaluation process. “Once we accept a supplier,” he explains, “they must sign a supplier agreement document containing lead times and forecast information, a quality agreement, a technical document detailing what we want them to produce – and our Supplier Standard.”

The Standard (which has its origins in the

Corporate Code of Conduct) states the mini-mum requirements suppliers must meet and covers a wide range of topics such as health and safety, working hours and the environment.

“The Code exists to make sure that whatever we deliver has been created ethically,” says Paul. “We have to be confident that the entire supply chain lives up to our standards – and it is important to our customers, too.”

Rigorous ongoing checksQuality assessment does not end after the company has set up a contract with a supplier. “Post-appointment, we are in regular contact with them to check their performance against KPIs [Key Performance Indicators],” explains Paul. “So if things start to go wrong, we can get things quickly back on track.”

The company uses a Supplier Performance Management system to monitor, improve and control supplier performance. There are also supplier audits to assess the health of suppliers’ quality systems.

WORKING TOGETHER

TO DELIVER THE BEST

Employees from a local supplier take part in training at our Mikkeli factory in Finland.

43 44


43

OUR SUPPLIERS

“At Mölnlycke Health Care,” says Jessica DiPietro, Legal Project Manager, “social responsibility is in our DNA. Everyone works hard to deliver it – both in their behaviour and in ensuring it is adopted throughout the supply chain.”

Mölnlycke Health Care’s commitment to responsibility is reflected in the company’s Code of Conduct. “Put simply, if we follow the Code, we will live our values, be socially responsible and reap the rewards of a suc-cessful business.”

A Code for all The Code governs everyone’s behaviour – from the CEO to sales executives around the world. To protect the company’s reputation for high-quality products and high stand-ards, everyone who represents Mölnlycke Health Care must be familiar with the Code and comply with it.

As Jessica explains: “The Code is also impor-tant because it provides each of us with guidance on a wide range of topics, such as customer relationships, payments, corporate opportunities and political activity. Just as importantly, it tells customers that we under-stand and follow international and local laws and guidelines – and that we are the type of company they want to do business with.”

Compliance through training “The message we send to our customers is important, so thorough employee training is

crucial,” says Jessica. “As a global company, we have to do this remotely to supplement local initiatives. That is where the Learning and Management System [LMS] comes in.

“The LMS is a system that houses all of our training programmes, which includes the Code of Conduct. Everyone can access the LMS – whenever they need it, wherever they are in the world.”

Jessica, who ensured the Code of Conduct was implemented worldwide, has had a very positive reaction to it: “We all now have a single place to look for information, and we can be confident it is up to date. If we cannot find what we need, the Code contains a list of people we can contact with a question. We also have instructions for discreetly reporting violations if needed.”

Looking ahead“We treat the Code as a living document. Laws and regulations change, and our business is changing too. So we update it frequently.” With such strong corporate and individual commitments, Mölnlycke Health Care is ideally placed to become the most trusted healthcare brand in the world.

The Code in actionJana Dohnalova, a Quality Engineer in the Czech Republic, showed that following the Code of Conduct means taking action when you spot a possible breach. When she noticed close to 100 litres of glue in “empty” barrels,

she simply angled them on pallet trucks to remove the remnants of glue and ensure the barrels could be recycled by the supplier.

Her simple and environmentally responsi-ble solution meant Mölnlycke Health Care was able to use glue that was previously considered waste material. Jana’s initiative shows that it is possible to strike a balance between company and environmental needs. Sometimes it is simply about the angle.

There is no denying that Mölnlycke Health Care expects a great deal from its suppliers. But in return it treats them openly, honestly and fairly. Employees work hard to build long-term relationships with suppliers so that both parties can grow. The company’s five-year relationship with DSV (a global supplier of transport and logistics solutions) is a clear example of this.

A collaborative approach Clas Bolander, Global Logistics Director: explains: “When we selected DSV, it was not just because they had all the technical skills we needed. They also showed that they had a culture that matched ours, enough capacity to improve and a flexible approach to the future.

“ I t h i n k o f t h e te n de r p ro ces s a s a n engagement and the work that follows as a marriage – when the hard work really starts. It is clear to me from the work we have been doing together that DSV shares our values.”

Clas is also open about the need for flex-ibility: “DSV have shown that they are able to work with a level of uncertainty. We need this because we are constantly changing as a business. For example, we have collaborated on a major restructuring

of warehousing and logistics, moving away from a multiple distribution centre model to a single distribution centre.”

As with all other areas of the business, the logistics team follows strict processes with DSV. “We have KPIs and Service Level Agreements, and if there are any deviations, we have a process for how to react quickly. We also have regular business reviews,” explains Clas. “And, of course, we pay fairly and promptly. We keep our promises and we are transparent, so DSV always knows where it stands.”

Building relationshipsEmployees at DSV agree. Gert Vriend is Director of Global Account Management at the company. He characterises the relationship with Mölnlycke Health Care as being “very collaborative with a lot of mutual respect”.

“We have a very open and honest relationship across the whole organisation,” he explains, “and the attitudes of the two companies are the same.”

But the relationship has grown over time. Gert says: “They are open about the ways we need to improve and we like that.” This is evident in the way that DSV has committed to improving their warehousing procedures for medical supplies. Now, everyone in the warehouse who handles Mölnlycke Health Care products receives training from the company.

It is clear that open dialogue and a joint com-mitment to deliver are key to the success of the company-supplier relationship. As Clas Bolander says: “As a business, we are constantly changing. We need partners who will invest in us and who are willing to learn and grow like us. Collaboration is key in an uncertain world.”

“When we selected DSV, it was not just because they had all the technical skills we needed. They also showed that they had a

culture that matched ours.”Clas Bolander

DSV employees work closely with our staff to coordinate transportation. WORKING

RESPONSIBLY, LIVING BY OUR CODE

Everyone at Mölnlycke Health Care is proud to be working towards the vision of becoming the most trusted healthcare brand in the world. Legal Project Manager Jessica DiPietro explains how the

Corporate Code of Conduct plays an important part.

Glue barrels safely stowed for collection and recycling at Karvina.

45 46

MÖLNLYCKE HEALTH CARE MAGAZINE CODE OF CONDUCT

STRENGTH IN DIVERSITYBy ensuring that everyone has the opportunity to

realise their potential, we have created a diverse and dynamic workforce that reflects the global community

of clinicians and patients we serve.

As a global business, Mölnlycke Health Care works with clinicians and patients all over the world, and our success is based on a deep understanding of their needs. To achieve this, and build the meaningful partnerships that underpin our long-term success, our own workforce must be as diverse and varied as the communities we serve.

Fresh perspectivesThis mission is reflected in the company’s recruitment strategy. “We aim to recruit the best people”, says Executive Vice President HR and Corporate Communications Maarten van Beek, “people who excel in their pro-fession, and have a passion for serving our customers and patients. This has resulted in a very diverse workforce.”

That diversity brings benefits that go even deeper, as Maarten explains: “A homoge-neous workforce is one-dimensional and limited. People from different backgrounds bring different styles and perspectives and a constant flow of new ideas. That enriches our thinking and strengthens our decision-making at every level.”

Realising potentialA key part of creating a diverse workforce is opening up opportunities for learning and development, so that everyone has the chance to realise their potential. We have identified eight High Performance Behaviours which we expect of our employees – and these form the basis for our development needs.

The company offers a single point of access for a whole range of learning resources and tools. This ensures that everyone across the company speaks the same language of learning.

Those resources include a suite of pro-grammes aimed at nurturing talent across the board. “We have a single, unified perfor-mance review cycle that operates globally, so we can identify individuals with potential, wherever they may be,” says Global Talent and Development Manager Sonal Riley. “Then we have a range of talent development initiatives, aimed at emerging talents as well as more senior people.”

Creating a learning cultureSuch initiatives reflect the need to offer a rich mix of learning resources. “Learning does not have to be about going on a formal course,” says Sonal. “In fact, research shows that people learn more outside the classroom, including by exploring their own interests in a less formal way.”

That approach also highlights the benefits of the company’s diverse employee profile. As Maarten van Beek explains: “Of course formal learning is important. But our people learn so much more from their colleagues around them. The diversity of our workforce creates an environment where people not only think outside the box – but are happy to listen to and accept other people’s new ideas. In fact, I’d go as far as to say that the diversity of our company is one of the reasons for our success in innovation.”

Left Executive Vice President HR and Corporate Communications Maarten van Beek

RigntSonal Riley, left, promotes diversity by developing emerging talent from around the world.

OUR WORKFORCE

4847


“I began my career in public accounting, before moving into technology start-ups. I loved working as part of a team, and taking on a leadership role. Here, I can build on that. My role at Mölnlycke Health Care gives me a truly global leadership

opportunity and it’s wonderful to be able to share ideas and perspectives with people from such varied backgrounds. This is an incredibly dynamic environment. People at Mölnlycke Health Care are genuinely passionate about what they do, and the difference they make to people’s lives.

“My priority for these first few months at Mölnlycke Health Care has been to listen and learn as much as possible. Fortunately everyone has been incredibly supportive, and generous with their knowledge. There has been a lot of informal mentoring of me – that is pretty indicative of the culture here ¬– and I’m looking forward to getting involved as a mentor in more formal, structured programmes too. There are so many opportunities to develop.

“This has been a period of pretty fundamental change in the organisation, and we have been really focused on building our new team – and figuring out how we can all work together effectively. I have had a lot of support from the board, the audit committee and the rest of the executive team.

“Now I want to try to do the same for the people that work directly to me. This is a place where people care about each other, as well as about the business. I think that is a real strength.”

Ivin Tang recently marked her first year in post as Regional Marketing Director for Wound Care Asia-Pacific.

“This is an exciting time to be working in Marketing at Mölnlycke Health Care. Marketing has gone from being viewed as a support function to being an integral, leading part of the business. I joined because I could see exactly how my

experience and expertise could help to support that journey, and also how the company could help me develop, both professionally and personally.

“I was also keen to be part of a diverse team. The APAC management team is split 60:40 between women and men, and represents different nationalities too. Everyone brings their own unique perspective, and their own style of leadership. It makes for a very dynamic environment.

“There is definitely a feeling that people at every level are encouraged to be entrepreneurial and to think outside the box - as our Employer Value Proposition sets out. That old attitude of ‘We do it that way because that’s the way we’ve always done it’ does not apply. By working closely with the people on the ground and applying that local intelligence, we can focus on those areas where there is most potential and where we can add most value, and develop an approach that is tailored to the needs of each market.

“The atmosphere is one of mutual respect, and readiness to listen. The door is always open. I feel valued here, and there are so many opportunities for me to grow, for example by being involved in the commercial and operational aspects of the business as well as the more strategic side. So often, organisations talk about attracting and keeping the best people – but it is how people are treated on a day-to-day basis that really matters.”

Cheng Wei Wee’s journey at Mölnlycke Health Care has taken him from Singapore to Sweden and the USA, where he is Vice President of Marketing, Wound Care.

“My father used to tell me: ‘embrace opportunities, believe in yourself, live your dreams and make a difference’. It was good advice which I have taken and made a reality, thanks to the opportunities, mentoring and support I have received during my career with the company.

“My managers have been Swedish, Asian, British, Finnish and American, but they have all shared the same commitment to developing employees. It is in the culture of the company to be forward-looking. We always think about the next generation of leaders and how to develop the potential in people from all parts of the world.

“I joined the Asia-Pacific office based in Singapore as Regional Product Manager, Wound Care in 2003. My manager there put me forward for the Global Leadership Development Program (GLDP). That was a big opportunity and really started me on the career path I am on today.

“In 2009, I had the opportunity to become Country Manager for the ASEAN business. Then I moved to Gothenburg where I became Global Product Director leading the Global Category Team in 2012. Now I have the biggest challenge of my career, as Vice-President, Marketing for Wound Care in the USA, driving growth in our biggest wound care market.

“Since my move from Singapore, the change has been phenomenal – the cultural difference, the distance from home and the challenges of my different roles. The exposure I have gained to different markets, people and cultures shapes my ideas. I have learned to look at things from different angles and collaborate successfully with others.

“I am extremely fortunate to have had very strong support from my co-workers and management during my journey – and to be leading a young, diverse and talented team who challenge me with their fresh thinking and enthusiasm.

“Today, I am a member of the Leadership Forum, which gives me the opportunity to mentor talented people on the GLDP. It is great to be able to pass some of the encouragement and support I have received on to the budding talents of tomorrow.”

“One of my proudest achievements is being a member of the Leadership Forum, which gives me

the opportunity to mentor people on the GLDP – just as I was once mentored myself.”

Cheng Wei Wee

Michelle Roy joined Mölnlycke Health Care as Chief Financial Officer in June 2014.

“My priority for these first few months at Mölnlycke Health Care has been to listen and learn as much as possible. Fortunately,

everyone has been incredibly supportive, and generous with their knowledge.”

Michelle Roy

are proud to work for the company 86%

OUR WORKFORCE

49 50


If you want to design the most effective tool for a particular job, who better to talk to than the person who is going to be using it? For us to develop products that meet and even surpass the needs of our customers – and their patients – we first need to listen, and then apply what we learn to every stage of the development process.

“Product development is a two-way street. Throughout the development journey, from idea generation to products used on patients, it is essential to engage with specialists and clinicians to inform the process,” says Caroline Morvan, Global Product Manager for Safetac.

“For example, back in the 1980s, clinicians told us that pain and trauma at dressing change was a big issue. So we developed Safetac, the first-ever silicone adhesive in a dressing. It minimises pain and stress during dressing changes. Mepitel was our first product with Safetac technology – and it made a huge difference for patients. From these beginnings, the Safetac family has evolved to cover many indications and patient requirements to include 24 different ranges.”

Responding to changing needsTeams at Mölnlycke Health Care are constantly working on new and innovative

products to respond to customer needs. Wound care nurses recently expressed a need for a product to help them manage wounds with high-viscosity exudate.

“Chronic wounds, such as venous leg ulcers’ can produce thick and sticky exudate,” Caroline explains. “Nurses told us that there was no atraumatic dressing on the market that adequately supports the management of this problem. Nurses report that patients struggle with these kinds of wounds and can often become distressed. Leakage and skin maceration are very common.”

The response was Mepilex XT – a soft, conformable foam dressing with Safetac that can handle both low and high viscosity exudate. “It is a prime example of how customer and patient insight informs product development,” says Caroline.

The listening does not stop once a new product has been developed: it is ongoing. “We take the opportunity post-launch to continue discussion with clinicians. We actively invite feedback on our products and their different uses,” says Caroline.

“Drawing on these kinds of insights, our wound care products continue to evolve. For example, products like Mepilex Border

Sacrum and Mepilex Heel were carefully developed for a specific part of the body, as a result of external input.”

Clinical evidence about our products can also come from outside the company. This independent input is extremely valuable and can actually change the way that products are used, as Jill McLean, Strategic Marketing Manager, explains: “Academics and clinicians frequently conduct independent research into our products, and we follow their findings. Pressure ulcer prevention is a case in point.”

Positive results Two independent randomised controlled t r i a l s i n v e s t i g a t e d t h e e f f i c a c y o f Mepilex Border Sacrum as a prophylactic dressing to prevent pressure ulcers – with positive results.

“Thanks to the results of the trials, we know that Mepilex Border Sacrum can reduce the risk of pressure ulcers forming, when used alongside standard preventive measures,” says Jill. “This evidence has been cited in recently updated international clinical practice guidelines supporting the recommendation of the use of prophylactic d r e s s i n g s a s p a r t o f p r e s s u r e u l c e r prevention regimes.”

At Mölnlycke Health Care, patients and customers are at the heart of everything we do. So when we develop a new product, we listen –

to clinicians, to patients and to academics. Their needs form the backbone of the development process, from initial ideas all the way

through to implementation and beyond.

THE CUSTOMER VOICE Listening to experts

As part of its formal collaboration with experts, the company now runs a Global Advisory Board for Pressure Ulcer Prevention. Dr Nick Santamaria, Professor of Nursing Research – Translational Research at the University of Melbourne, is one of the independent opinion leaders on the Board, which meets twice a year to share insights and expertise.

“Recently our focus has been on bringing together the evidence for the use of dressings as prevention for pressure ulcers with a particular focus on the multilayer soft silica dressings produced by Mölnlycke Health Care,” he says. “We have recently released a consensus statement with recom-mendations to help practitioners use wound dressings most effectively.”

Professor Santamaria passionately believes in the use of dressings to help prevent pressure ulcers. “For some patients, pressure ulcers are a nuisance but for the critically ill, they can be a matter of life and death,” he says. He also sees clear health economic benefits “Using a dressing is like having a vaccination,” he says. “A vaccine is there to prevent the develop-ment of a more serious condition. By spending a little bit of money today, we prevent a much more serious disease in the future.”

For Professor Santamaria, there is an obvious synergy between his own goals and those of Mölnlycke Health Care. “As a professor, I see my role as to advance knowledge and develop clinical excellence. I share the same ultimate aim as the board, which is to increase patient safety. Mölnlycke Health Care is one of the few compa-nies with a tangible commitment to clinical research – it puts its money where its mouth is.”

Top Insight from customers, clinicians and academics is key to great product development for Jill McClean.

Above and rightWe developed Mepilex XT with Safetac after listening to nurses who treat high exuding wounds.

CUSTOMER INSIGHT

51 52


As life improves in developing countries such as China and Brazil, the healthcare challenges they face are changing too. Mölnlycke Health Care

is leading the way in sharing best practice with local clinicians to help improve standards of care.

ONE WORLD OF HEALTHCARE

Wo u n d c a r e i n C h i n a h a s c h a n g e d immensely over recent years, according to Mikkel Dalgaard Heuer, General Manager of Möl n lycke Hea lt h C a re i n C h i na . “Hospital infrastructure has expanded and improved, there is increased govern-ment funding and care is more affordable for patients.”

“The type of wounds has changed too,” continues Mikkel. “Ten years ago, burns were a significant challenge. As health and safety at work has become more impor-tant, clinicians no longer see so many burns. Conversely, diseases associated with wealthy countries – like diabetes – are becoming more and more common. But the knowledge and skills of clinicians have not always kept pace with this.

“We are also seeing a new focus on preven-tion,” he continues. “In the past, prevent-ing healthcare-acquired conditions, like pressure ulcers, would have been seen as a luxury. Now that we can show how cost-effective prevention can be, it is at the forefront of healthcare in China.”

Sharing the latest techniquesWith its expertise and evidence base in wounds and wound care, Mölnlycke Health Care is well placed to share its knowledge with

clinicians facing new types of challenge. “Our focus is on advancing knowledge w it h i n C h i n a a s a w ho le ,” ex pl a i n s M i k kel. “ We r u n sem i na r ser ies a nd training courses with professional associ-ations and government bodies, as well as in hospitals, to inform clinicians about the latest techniques for managing wounds.”

The compa ny a lso col lab orates w it h p rofe s sio n a l a s s o c i at io n s to u p d ate protocols and develop a local Chinese ev idence base. “ We worked w it h t he Ch i nese Nu rsi ng A ssociat ion to help them establish pressure ulcer prevention guidelines,” says Mikkel. “And we helped the Beijing Nursing Association to share Chinese best practice around pressure ulcer prevention – to support the develop-ment of an evidence base that is specific to China. It all helps improve standards of care for patients.”

Linking with local cliniciansMölnlycke Health Care par tners with professional associations in other devel-oping countries too. In Brazil, where the company has just set up a new sales office, we are developing relationships with soci-eties and associations across the country.Rogerio Cavaleiro, Business Director for Wound Care, Brazil explains: “We are keen

to work with organisations like the Stoma Association, the Vascular Society and the National Woundcare Society to establish training programmes in particular ther-apy areas. By connecting with clinicians through their professional networks, we can reach beyond the rich southeast to all areas of the country. Patients throughout Brazil should be able to benefit from the latest clinical practice.”

The company also runs one-off educational activities on therapy areas such as pressure ulcer prevention, as Rogerio explains: “Last year, we ran a session for 50 clini-cians with a speaker from the Mölnlycke Health Care Advisory Board on Pressure Ulcer Prevention. It was also an opportunity for our customers to share best practice by presenting their own cases.”

Proving value with evidenceAnother region where the company’s educa-tional programmes are well established is the Middle East. Catherine Reyes Gloria is the Business Development Manager for Wound Care for the Middle East and Africa.

“We have been suppor ting a one-day prog ra m me – t he A r t a nd S cience of Wound Care – in the Middle East since 2009,” she says. “Local specialists deliver

EMERGING MARKETS

LuoMan from Wuhan No.3 Hospital is among hundreds of wound care nurses in China who have attended training courses in pressure ulcer prevention run by Mölnlycke Health Care.

53 54


the programme in hospitals, which covers several modules, each devoted to a different type of wound.”

As in China and Brazil, the company’s focus is on advancing clinical practice a nd bu i ld i ng a loca l ev idence base – helpi n g he a lt hc a re p r ofe s s io n a l s to prove the value of treatments through relevant examples and results from their own countries.

Supporting new researchIn Abu Dhabi in the United Arab Emirates, Möln lycke Hea lt h Ca re sponsors t he one-year International Interprofessional Wound Care Course at the prestigious Sheikh Khalifa Medical City.

“The course turns participants into advo-cates for an evidence-based approach,” says Catherine. “It gives them the knowledge and confidence to create local evidence that is clinically relevant to the region – either by replicating international studies or by designing their own. Standards of care are becoming ever higher as a result.”

Catherine is very proud of what Mölnlycke Health Care has achieved in the Middle East.

“When we started our educational activ-ities, we knew we had the expertise to improve the quality of life for patients,” she says. “As best practice spreads, it is incredibly fulfilling to see advances in care for patients.”

LuoMan is Vice Director of the Wound Healing Center at Wuhan No.3 hospital in China, and has been a wound care nurse for 20 years.

“In the last few years in China, we have become a lot more aware of pressure ulcers – and the focus is starting to move from treatment to prevention. As a team leader, I need to make sure that all the nurses at the Wound Care Center understand Pressure Ulcer Prevention. Pressure ulcer risk evaluation is also a challenge for many professionals.

“My colleagues and I have attended numer-ous training programmes run by Mölnlycke Health Care that focus on pressure ulcer prevention and on developing associated protocols. The courses have covered the most up-to-date pressure ulcer clinical research and advanced dressing application, and there have been opportunities to share what we do with nurses in other hospitals.

“With what we have learnt, we have over-hauled the Pressure Ulcer Prevention proto-cols in our hospital – from skin evaluation and surface selection through to dressing application. The improved protocol has benefited patients hugely: the incidence of pressure ulcers has reduced and patients feel more comfortable.

“This kind of educational programme is very valuable. We appreciate Mölnlycke Health Care’s great contribution to Pressure

Ulcer Prevention education in China and we hope the company will continue to support the development of Pressure Ulcer Prevention guidelines in our country.”

Junah C Castil is a Critical Care Nurse at the Intensive Care Unit (ICU) at Sheikh Khalifa Medical City in Abu Dhabi.

“It is vital that nurses in my country are exposed to the latest wound care practice. Joint working between experts in patient care and companies like Mölnlcyke Health Care can help us achieve that. For example, I have recently completed the International Interprofessional Wound Care Course, which is sponsored by Mölnlycke Health Care. The course refined my skills, and I also increased my knowledge about the most recent developments in wound care.

“On the course, there were delegates from many different disciplines and from other countries – and I learned a lot from collaborating with other professionals. We conducted a study into pressure ulcer prevention protocols in clinical practice, which became an electronic educational tool for use in healthcare settings.

“Ever y t h i ng I lea r ned on t he cou rse has been shared with my colleagues at t he hospital and implemented. There have been real patient benefits from the application of the latest evidence-based practice. We are seeing far fewer pressure ulcers, for example.”

“The company’s focus is on advancing clinical practice and building a local evidence base – helping healthcare professionals to prove the

value of treatments through relevant examples and results from their own countries.”

Catherine Reyes Gloria

Mölnlycke Health Care is an international company and the products shown in this publication may not be available in certain countries and/or may be approved or cleared for sale in certain countries with different indications and restrictions. The following names and respective logos are registered globally to one or more of the Mölnlycke Health Care Group of Companies: Mölnlycke Health Care, Avance, Barrier, EasyWarm, Biogel, Epaderm, Exufiber, Mepiform, Mepilex, Mepitel, ProcedurePak, and Safetac.

© 2015 Mölnlycke Health Care AB. All rights [email protected]

55 56


molnlycke health care mag 2015

Documents