Orthopaedic International, Inc.

Our Story

Orthopaedic International, Inc. was formed as a distribution company for Smith & Nephew. OII carried a full line of orthopaedic products, including compression hip screws, interlocking nails, partial and total hip implants, total knee replacement systems, arthroscopy systems and sports medicine braces, which they distributed across the Philippines.

However, access to high-quality yet affordable orthopaedic solutions remained a challenge as most products were produced for developed healthcare markets like North America, Europe and Japan. Recognising this gap, OII’s founder and chairman, Dr. Ramon B. Gustilo, redirected the efforts of OII towards designing and manufacturing products for the Philippines and the developing world. Already well-known for his clinical research, residency and fellowship training progams as well as designing implant systems for and with Zimmer and Smith & Nephew, Dr. Gustilo embarked on establishing an innovation and manufacturing center aimed at these underserved markets. In 1992, he established Orthopaedic Innovations, Inc. in Minneapolis, Minnesota, USA to develop affordable products and oversee manufacturing operations in the Philippines. Later, local manufacturing operations began in 1995 with the establishment of Orthopaedic Innovations Mfg., Inc. (OIMI) based in Cabuyao, Laguna, Philippines. In 1997, Research and Development was expanded with the creation of a Philippine-based team tasked to develop products more suitable to the Asian market by directly working with surgeons in the region. Over the years, OII’s engineers worked with Dr. Gustilo and leading Filipino orthopaedic surgeons to design and develop complete implant systems with extensive intellectual property surrounding them. In 2005, all operations were moved to the Philippines, with its corporate headquarters now located in Cabuyao, Laguna.