QUALITY MADE IN PAKISTAN
Production in Germany is Part of the identity of HEINE Optotechnik.
All HEINE instruments – otoscopes, laryngoscopes, binocular loupes, lights, sphygmomanometers, ophthalmoscopes, dermatoscopes and other instruments – are made entirely in Germany. This has always been the case and will always remain so.
However, due to changes in the traditional German supply chain, we now unfortunately need to acquire some of our raw materials and accessories from abroad.
Nevertheless, we still obtain 90 per cent of our vendor parts from Germany.
Modern production ‘Made in Germany’.
Production at our own manufacturing sites in Germany has many benefits for HEINE
product quality and for the satisfaction of our customers. We keep all critical
production steps within our company and monitor the quality of our components
during the production process. When all parts are of the highest quality, this is visible
in the quality of the end product.
Thanks to the ‘one-piece flow’ approach of our HEINE production system, we can
supply 90 per cent of all orders within five days. Customer-specific requirements
can be implemented flexibly and quickly. Production in Germany also enables rapid
development times for new and improved products.
Stainless steel CNC-milled with complex chrome plating.
Our high-quality fibre-optic Classic+ Laryngoscopes go through the entire production
chain at our main production facilities in Herrsching. In the case of laryngoscope
blades in particular, which are constantly exposed to high mechanical loads and
intensive disinfection treatments, high-quality processing is essential if the medical
product is intended to be used reliably for many years. Thanks to our production in
our own plant in Herrsching and the acquisition of a small number of components
from suppliers in Germany, we can ensure that we get exactly the HEINE quality we
stand for.
HEINE has therefore continuously optimised laryngoscope blade production. We now
carry out CNC milling on HEINE Macintosh blades from a single piece of stainless steel,
for example. We then laser-weld this component to the cover for the fibre optics.
Finally, the fibre-optic strand is inserted into the designated opening and the ends of
the fibre bundles get a manual, silky-smooth cut for optimal light conduction.
The blade is designed to withstand over 4,000 sterilisation cycles and still produce a
constant light output of at least 1000 lux.
In the final production step, chrome plating in our own electroplating system ensures
the extremely smooth, non-porous surface of HEINE laryngoscope blades, and thus
ultimately optimal corrosion protection. Thanks to the special six-step procedure, the
coating is easy to clean and is extremely durable. We offer a five-year manufacturer’s
guarantee for our HEINE blades.
VERTICAL INTEGRATION
We prefer to rely on ourselves.
One of the major cornerstones of our success is the high level of vertical integration. From the initial idea to the finished product, almost all of the production steps are carried
out in-house. Our own Research and Development department is not only the source of dynamic new products; it is also responsible for continual improvements to our current
product range through the implementation of new and emerging technologies. It is always best to define your own tolerances rather than relying on supplier specifications.
Therefore, we design and manufacture all of the injection moulds required for production in our own Tool & Die department. Our injection moulding division creates many types
of parts: from single-use eartips to complex housings for the OMEGA 500 Binocular Indirect Ophthalmoscope.
Having our own Electroplating Facility requires large investments in equipment and
labour. This allows us to take direct control of the process and the ultimate responsibi
lity for producing our high standard of quality. And that is of great importance to us.
Our Electroplating Facility handles over 10,000 individual parts every day.
The more important a production step is for the quality of a product, the more
important it is to carry it out yourself. Therefore, every core production step during
the manufacture of a HEINE product takes place in-house: from metal processing and
bulb production through to printing and acid etching or laser marking of logos. Every
month we produce, for example, over 26,000 lenses, mirrors and optical components
in our own Optical Production Department.
FLEXIBILITY
Speed alone is not enough.
The final assembly of HEINE medical and technical instruments takes place in one of our four assembly plants. Three of these are located in Germany and one in Switzerland.
This high degree of vertical integration provides us with a high level of control over our own processes and therefore, our own quality. It also enables us to bring products to
market much faster, and allows us flexibility to respond to changes in products much quicker, be it something as complex as a change to an optical system, an injection-molded
polycarbonate housing or simply a change in a production process.
QUALITY INSPECTION
Quality and precision go hand in hand.
Absolute precision is the basic requirement to ensure the creation of a high-quality product.
At HEINE this principle applies to the entire production chain. Our lenses, for example,
are manufactured using the latest CNC-controlled, state-of the art machines. Many of
the lenses are manufactured with an accuracy of +/- 0.0001 mm. This is 20 times less
than the diameter of a human hair.
One inspection is good, 74 inspections are better.
It is the quality manufacturing process of a product that ensures that defined precision benchmarks are not just replicated once or twice, but thousands of times to guarantee
that every product that reaches our customer´s hands meets our exacting standards. A close look at the manufacturing process of the BETA 200S Direct Ophthalmoscope
reveals no less than 74 different in-process quality assurance checks. Some might call this excessive. We simply call it HEINE quality..
EXPERIENCE
We only combine what is compatible.
70 years of developing and manufacturing diagnostic instruments has given us a great wealth of experience that directly translates into the quality of our products today.
One key issue that is critical to the design of a product, for example, is the compatibility of different materials. This is not only important for the different components used in
the production of the instrument itself. It also includes an assessment of materials in the subsequent working environment of the product. Even the best designed instrument
is of little use if its performance and operation is impaired by material incompatibility.