2013
2014
INSERT COMPANY LOGO HERE
2013
North
American
SSL Certificate
2014
Global
Orthopedic
Surgery
Product
Leadership
AwardAward
Enabling
Technology
Leadership
BEST PRACTICES RESEARCH
Contents
Background and Company Performance ........................................................................ 3
Industry Challenges .............................................................................................. 3
Technology Leverage and Customer Impact of Blue Belt Technologies ........................ 4
Conclusion........................................................................................................... 6
Significance of Enabling Technology Leadership ............................................................. 7
Understanding Enabling Technology Leadership ............................................................. 7
Key Benchmarking Criteria .................................................................................... 8
Best Practice Award Analysis for Blue Belt Technologies .................................................. 8
Decision Support Scorecard ................................................................................... 8
Technology Leverage ............................................................................................ 9
Customer Impact ................................................................................................. 9
Decision Support Matrix ...................................................................................... 10
The Intersection between 360-Degree Research and Best Practices Awards ..................... 11
Research Methodology ........................................................................................ 11
Best Practices Recognition: 10 Steps to Researching, Identifying, and Recognizing Best
Practices ................................................................................................................. 12
About Frost & Sullivan .............................................................................................. 13
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Background and Company Performance
Industry Challenges
Frost & Sullivan’s survey of the Global orthopedic industry reveals that it is currently
entering a high growth phase. The United States National Institutes of Health (NIH)
estimates
that
over
110
million
American
adults
are
currently
experiencing
musculoskeletal disorders of some kind. An ageing population and increasing incidence of
orthopedic disorders across age groups are expected to further drive the growth of this
market. However, with the promise of a fast-growing market, the industry is also faced
with certain challenges that could impact its growth potential.
First, the industry relies on surgical instruments that are technologically outdated and
unwieldy in design, negatively impacting the precision of operation and limiting the
efficiency of clinical outcomes. The orthopedic surgery industry has been reluctan t to
adopt cutting-edge technologies from other industries to its benefit, and pace of
innovation has been rather slow. Given the market potential, it is imperative that the
surgical
industry
be
receptive
to
innovations
in
electronics,
information
and
communication and computer-based simulation techniques.
Second, conventional surgical procedures rely on invasive techniques. With the advent of
arthroscopy, or a minimally invasive alternative to open surgery, there are benefits to be
enjoyed. Arthroscopic surgeries result in faster post-operative recovery period, lower pain
and lesser risk of complications. However, a successful arthroscopic procedure requires
improved visualization, extreme precision and sufficient planning and practice in order to
anticipate complications. All these point toward a robot- or computer-guided system that
would enable precise and well-controlled surgery.
Finally, the healthcare industry is facing escalating costs associated with logistical
inefficiencies. Besides the cost of procedures themselves, there are hidden costs due to
poor planning and execution as well. On the planning side, costs associated with
prolonged use of a surgical suite due to poor planning, inordinate use of consumables and
so on, add up. On the execution side, there are costs associated with recovery time; need
for repeat and supportive procedures due to poor outcomes. These costs are ultimately
passed on to patients and payers.
In summary, orthopedics and other surgical markets present promising market growth in
the near future. In order to fully exploit the market potential, the need of the hour is a
computer-guided surgical system that would enable a minimally-invasive, precise and
hassle-free surgery.
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Technology Leverage and Customer Impact of Blue Belt
Technologies
Commitment to Creativity
Displaying a clear understanding of the industry’s unmet needs, Blue Belt Technologies,
Inc. (Plymouth, MN) has developed the Navio® Surgical System, a robotic surgical system
that offers computer-guided assistance for orthopedic surgeries.
Navio® is a state-of-the-art surgical system that works in concert with the surgeon and
enhances his or her surgical skills. The system consists of two components: Navio ®
Precision Freehand Sculpting (PFS), a handheld robotic-assisted surgical instrument and a
computer-based planning and navigation system. The handheld system is guided by
advanced robotics and customized algorithms in order to offer precision and enhanced
safety while performing delicate, minimally invasive, procedures.
Application Diversity
The primary and most successful application of the Navio ® system to date has been in the
field of orthopedic surgery. The Navio® system has made its presence felt in unicondylar
and patellofemoral knee replacement (UKR/PFJ) or partial knee replacement procedures.
During this procedure, osteoarthritic regions of the knee bone are identified and replaced
using a metal implant. Conventional UKR procedures employ a manual replacement
practice, which tend to be inconsistent and susceptible to human errors. Navio ® has
ushered in the practice of advanced image-free intra-operative planning through direct
mapping of the problematic bone surface that needs replacement. Similarly, the
computer-guided instrumentation also prevents the surgeon from cutting out too much or
too little of the site, reducing risk of problems post-surgery.
However, the true potential of the Navio ® system lies in its scalability. The flexible and
broad-based
technology
platform
expands
the
application
possibilities.
Blue
Belt
Technologies are endeavoring to expand the application areas to sports medicine,
neurosurgery, otolaryngology (ENT), spinal and other surgical specialties.
Commitment to Innovation
The robotic surgical systems industry has witnessed a surge in new entrants and an
explosion of robotic system prototypes. With market crowding, challenges pertaining to
intellectual property and product differentiation come to the fore. Blue Belt Technologies
has not only scaled intellectual property challenges, but have positioned their products in
a direction that is distinct from market competition. Since 2003, when Blue Belt
Technologies spun out of Carnegie Mellon University (Pittsburgh, PA), the company has
built a strong patent portfolio and has displayed continued commitment to excellence and
innovation in robotic surgical systems.
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In addition to direct-to-customer marketing, Blue Belt Technologies has also made Navio®
available to leading technology partners and medical device companies. Strategic
partnerships with companies such as Smith & Nephew (London, UK) and DePuy Synthes
(Chester, PA) display Blue Belt Technologies’ commitment to foster innovation and expand
on the Navio® platform. By maintaining an open and flexible platform for orthopedic
implants, Blue Belt Technologies also allows surgeons to continue using implants that they
are comfortable with, while encouraging them to switch over to a robotic-assisted surgery
platform.
Commercialization Success
The extent of Blue Belt Technologies’ success in the nascent robotic surgery industry can
be gauged by its enthusiastic reception by surgeons and rapid geographic expansion. The
Navio® received 510(k) regulatory clearance from the United States Food and Drug
Administration (US FDA) in December 2012. The approval, by a regulatory regime that is
known to be tough on robotics surgical systems, is a grand testament to the system’s
robust technological build and positive clinical outcomes. The system also has a CE mark
for marketing and clinical use in the European Union.
Navio® is currently available in the United States, the United Kingdom and other European
countries. Blue Belt Technologies is currently looking to expand its geographic footprint in
Europe and Asia.
Price/Performance Value
The bedrock of Blue Belt Technologies’ product design is the twin need to enhance surgical
planning and offer superior surgical execution. Both these have shaped the product
features and user interface.
Patients undergoing robotic-assisted surgery typically are required to take a computer
tomography (CT) scan, in order for the surgeons to perform the procedure with the
advanced technology. CT scans add to the patient’s medical expenses, increase presurgery procedures, add to the patient’s trauma and most importantly, subject the
patients to radiations. All these discomforts are made away with, thanks to Navio ®
system’s CT-free approach to intra-operative visualization and computer navigation
features. The system houses an optical camera directly above the surgical site, allowing
the surgeon to recreate a 3-dimensional model of the patient’s anatomy and kinematics
during the procedure. The Navio ® planning suite is fed with patient information and the
background of the surgery, which then simulates the procedure and conveys the same to
the handheld instrument. The guided and closed-loop approach increases accuracy and
reduces human error.
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Customer Ownership Experience
Positive feedback from orthopedics and surgeons stand testament to the potential and
promise of the Navio® platforms. The surgical planning system controls the area of
surgery and reduces the risk of human errors. This algorithm-control ensures that the
implants fit the patient well and may reduce the need for revision surgery. This may
directly translate to lower medical bills and faster recovery when compared with
alternative treatments, such as Total Knee Replacement.
Navio® PFS acts as an enabling technology platform and a bridge between traditional
implantation procedures and innovative robotic surgeries. The computer-guided nature of
the system enables adoption of minimally invasive procedures and advanced surgical
systems with greater confidence. The Navio® system’s superior product features, open
architecture and opportunity for improved clinical outcomes have reinforced the need for
robotic systems in surgeries. In the long run, Navio® PFS is expected to set the standard
not just for the orthopedic surgery industry, but for robotic-assisted surgical devices as a
whole.
Conclusion
According to Frost & Sullivan’s analysis of the Global surgical systems industry, Blue Belt
Technologies’ Navio® is the best-in-class device for computer-guided surgery.
With the Navio® system, Blue Belt Technologies has asserted itself as the industry
standard for image-guided orthopedic surgery. Navio ®’s robust technology platform
ensures improved visualization of the operative environment, which in turn enables better
planning and precise execution of the surgery. Frost & Sullivan commends Blue Belt
Technologies for the user-friendly design and the use of advanced guiding systems which
have translated into improved surgical outcomes and reduced burden for patients.
With its strong overall performance, Blue Belt Technologies has earned Frost & Sullivan’s
2014 Global Enabling Technology Leadership Award.
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Significance of Enabling Technology Leadership
Ultimately, growth in any organization depends upon customers purchasing from your
company, and then making the decision to return time and again. In a sense, then,
everything is truly about the customer—and making those customers happy is the
cornerstone of any long-term successful growth strategy. To achieve these goals through
technology leadership, an organization must be best-in-class in three key areas:
understanding demand, nurturing the brand, differentiating from the competition. This
three-fold approach is explored further below.
Understanding Enabling Technology Leadership
Product quality (driven by innovative technology) is the foundation of delivering customer
value. When complemented by an equally rigorous focus on the customer, companies can
begin to differentiate themselves from the competition. From awareness, to consideration,
to purchase, to follow-up support, best-practice organizations deliver a unique and
enjoyable experience that gives customers confidence in the company, its product s, and
its integrity.
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Key Benchmarking Criteria
For the Enabling Technology Leadership Award, we evaluated two key factors—Technology
Leverage and Customer Impact—according to the criteria identified below.
Technology Leverage
Criterion 1: Commitment to Innovation
Criterion 2: Commitment to Creativity
Criterion 3: Stage Gate Efficiency
Criterion 4: Commercialization Success
Criterion 5: Application Diversity
Customer Impact
Criterion 1: Price/Performance Value
Criterion 2: Customer Purchase Experience
Criterion 3: Customer Ownership Experience
Criterion 4: Customer Service Experience
Criterion 5: Brand Equity
Best Practice Award Analysis for Blue Belt Technologies
Decision Support Scorecard
To support its evaluation of best practices across multiple business performance
categories, Frost & Sullivan employs a customized Decision Support Scorecard. This tool
allows our research and consulting teams to objectively analyze performance, according to
the key benchmarking criteria listed in the previous section, and to assign ratings on that
basis. The tool follows a 10-point scale that allows for nuances in performance evaluation;
ratings guidelines are illustrated below.
RATINGS GUIDELINES
The Decision Support Scorecard is organized by Technology Leverage and Customer
Impact (i.e., the overarching categories for all 10 benchmarking criteria; the definitions
for each criteria are provided beneath the scorecard). The research team confirms the
veracity of this weighted scorecard through sensitivity analysis, which confirms that small
changes to the ratings for a specific criterion do not lead to a significant change in the
overall relative rankings of the companies.
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The results of this analysis are shown below. To remain unbiased and to protect the
interests of all organizations reviewed, we have chosen to refer to the other key players in
as Competitor 2 and Competitor 3.
DECISION SUPPORT SCORECARD FOR ENABLING TECHNOLOGY LEADERSHIP AWARD
Measurement of 1–10 (1 = poor; 10 = excellent)
Enabling Technology Leadership
Technology
Leverage
Blue Belt Technologies
Customer Impact
Average Rating
9.5
9
9.25
Competitor 2
8
7
7.5
Competitor 3
7.5
6.5
7
Technology Leverage
Criterion 1: Commitment to Innovation
Requirement: Conscious, ongoing adoption of emerging technologies that enables new product
development and enhances product performances
Criterion 2: Commitment to Creativity
Requirement: Technology is leveraged to push the limits of form and function, in the pursuit of “white
space” innovation
Criterion 3: Stage Gate Efficiency
Requirement: Adoption of technology to enhance the stage gate process for launching new products
and solutions
Criterion 4: Commercialization Success
Requirement: A proven track record of taking new technologies to market with a high rate of success
Criterion 5: Application Diversity
Requirement: The development and/or integration of technologies that serve multiple applications
and can be embraced in multiple environments
Customer Impact
Criterion 1: Price/Performance Value
Requirement: Products or services offer the best value for the price, compared to similar
offerings in the market
Criterion 2: Customer Purchase Experience
Requirement: Customers feel like they are buying the most optimal solution that
addresses both their unique needs and their unique constraints
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Criterion 3: Customer Ownership Experience
Requirement: Customers are proud to own the company’s product or service, and have a
positive experience throughout the life of the product or service
Criterion 4: Customer Service Experience
Requirement: Customer service is accessible, fast, stress-free, and of high quality
Criterion 5: Brand Equity
Requirement: Customers have a positive view of the brand and exhibit high brand loyalty
Decision Support Matrix
Once all companies have been evaluated according to the Decision Support Scorecard,
analysts can then position the candidates on the matrix shown below, enabling them to
visualize which companies are truly breakthrough and which ones are not yet operating at
best-in-class levels.
DECISION SUPPORT MATRIX FOR ENABLING TECHNOLOGY LEADERSHIP AWARD
High
Blue Belt
Technologies
Competitor 2
Customer Impact
Competitor 3
Low
Low
© Frost & Sullivan
Technology Leverage
10
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The Intersection between 360-Degree Research and Best
Practices Awards
Research Methodology
Frost & Sullivan’s 360-degree research
methodology
represents
the
360-DEGREE RESEARCH: SEEING ORDER IN
THE CHAOS
analytical
rigor of our research process. It offers a
360-degree-view of industry challenges,
trends, and issues by integrating all 7 of
Frost & Sullivan's research methodologies.
Too
often,
growth
companies
decisions
understanding
of
make
based
on
their
important
a
narrow
environment,
leading to errors of both omission and
commission. Successful growth strategies
are founded on a thorough understanding
of market, technical, economic, financial,
customer, best practices, and demographic
analyses. The integration of these research
disciplines into the 360-degree research
methodology
provides
an
evaluation
platform for benchmarking industry players and for identifying those performing at bestin-class levels.
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Best Practices Recognition: 10 Steps to Researching,
Identifying, and Recognizing Best Practices
Our awards team follows a 10-step process (illustrated below) to evaluate award
candidates and assess their fit with our best practice criteria. The reputation and integrity
of our awards process are based on close adherence to this process.
STEP
Monitor,
1 target, and
OBJECTIVE
KEY ACTIVITIES
OUTPUT
Identify award recipient candidates
from around the globe
 Conduct in-depth industry
research
 Identify emerging sectors
 Scan multiple geographies
Pipeline of candidates who
potentially meet all best-practice
criteria
Perform comprehensive, 360-degree
research on all candidates in the
pipeline
 Interview thought leaders and
industry practitioners
 Assess candidates’ fit with
best-practice criteria
 Rank all candidates
Matrix positioning all candidates’
performance relative to one
another
screen
2
Perform
360-degree
research
3
Invite thought
leadership in
best practices
Perform in-depth examination of all
candidates
 Confirm best-practice criteria
 Examine eligibility of all
candidates
 Identify any information gaps
Detailed profiles of all ranked
candidates
4
Initiate
research
director
review
Conduct an unbiased evaluation of
all candidate profiles
 Brainstorm ranking options
 Invite multiple perspectives
on candidates’ performance
 Update candidate profiles
Final prioritization of all eligible
candidates and companion bestpractice positioning paper
5
Assemble
panel of
industry
experts
Present findings to an expert panel
of industry thought leaders
 Share findings
 Strengthen cases for
candidate eligibility
 Prioritize candidates
Refined list of prioritized award
candidates
6
Conduct global
industry
review
Build consensus on award
candidates’ eligibility
 Hold global team meeting to
review all candidates
 Pressure-test fit with criteria
 Confirm inclusion of all
eligible candidates
Final list of eligible award
candidates, representing success
stories worldwide
7
Perform
quality check
Develop official award consideration
materials
 Perform final performance
benchmarking activities
 Write nominations
 Perform quality review
High-quality, accurate, and creative
presentation of nominees’
successes
8
Reconnect
with panel of
industry
experts
Finalize the selection of the bestpractice award recipient
 Review analysis with panel
 Build consensus
 Select winner
Decision on which company
performs best against all bestpractice criteria
9
Communicate
recognition
Inform award recipient of award
recognition
 Present award to the CEO
 Inspire the organization for
continued success
 Celebrate the recipient’s
performance
Announcement of award and plan
for how recipient can use the
award to enhance the brand
10
Take strategic
action
Share award news with stakeholders
and customers
 Coordinate media outreach
 Design a marketing plan
 Assess award’s role in future
strategic planning
Widespread awareness of
recipient’s award status among
investors, media personnel, and
employees
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About Frost & Sullivan
Frost & Sullivan, the Growth Partnership Company, enables clients to accelerate growth
and achieve best in class positions in growth, innovation and leadership. The company's
Growth Partnership Service provides the CEO and the CEO's Growth Team with disciplined
research and best practice models to drive the generation, evaluation and implementation
of powerful growth strategies. Frost & Sullivan leverages almost 50 years of experience in
partnering with Global 1000 companies, emerging businesses and the investment
community from 31 offices on six continents. To join our Growth Partnership, pl ease visit
http://www.frost.com.
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