Answering the calls: 30 years of Himed history (Himed website)
As President of Himed, Ed Garofalo oversees a business that’s now a leading global provider of cutting-edge biomaterials and surface treatments for the dental and orthopedic industries. Yet thirty years ago, if you went looking for Ed, you’d find him working with metal coatings for engine turbines at a family-owned business in New York called Hitemco.
Of course, engine turbine parts and a hip implant don’t have much in common on paper, but it’s safe to say that the finish on both had better be unquestionably precise before they’re put to use.
From engine turbines to medical implants
In the late ‘80s, the medical implant industry looked very different than it does today. Medical advancements were coming at a respectable pace but a flexible, adaptable supply chain simply wasn’t in place the way it is now. That’s why Ed would get calls from members of the medical industry asking if Hitemco could provide finishes on orthopedic implants.
One major issue with implants back then was the cement used to bond the implants to bone. The cement would heat up, degrade or even crack the bone, and sometimes break off completely over t...
