What Colson Associates does

Colson Associates, Inc. is a privately held Chicago-based holding company that owns and operates a portfolio of six medical device member companies: Acumed LLC, Apex (Guangzhou) Tools & Orthopedics Company, MicroAire Surgical Instruments LLC, Osteomed LLC, Precision Edge Surgical Products Company LLC, and Skeletal Kinetics LLC. The member companies collectively develop, manufacture, and distribute a wide range of orthopedic and surgical medical devices worldwide, with a focus on implants, surgical instruments, and orthopedic tools used by hospitals, surgical centers, and healthcare professionals to improve patient care, medical treatments, and outcomes. Operations span North America (United States) and Asia (China via Apex in Guangzhou), supported by a multilingual (English, Chinese, Spanish) commercial website.

The company generates revenue through hardware sales of its medical device product lines, distributed directly to healthcare providers and medical professionals globally. Member companies operate independently, while Colson Associates provides centralized management support on non-operational matters including accounting, tax, finance, legal, insurance, risk management, regulatory, real estate, and acquisition matters. The company originated in 2002 when founder Robert "Bob" Pritzker retired from The Marmon Group and consolidated a small set of caster, hardware, and medical device businesses under Colson Associates; the caster and hardware segments were divested in 2011 and the medical device portfolio has been the focus ever since.

Since October 31, 2019, a majority interest in the Medical Companies has been held by Marmon Holdings, an industrial conglomerate owned by Berkshire Hathaway. Headcount is stated at 501-1,000 employees; no revenue figure is disclosed in the available source materials.

Name

Colson Associates

Legal name

Colson Associates, Inc.

Website

https://colsonassociates.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2002

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

501–1,000 employees

Short description

Colson Associates is a privately held Chicago-based holding company that owns six medical device member companies developing, manufacturing, and distributing orthopedic and surgical devices worldwide to hospitals, surgical centers, and healthcare professionals.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Medical Devices

NAICS

Surgical Appliance and Supplies Manufacturing (339113), Surgical and Medical Instrument Manufacturing (339112), Medical Equipment and Supplies Manufacturing (3391)

SIC

Surgical & Medical Instruments & Apparatus (3841), Orthopedic, Prosthetic & Surgical Appliances & Supplies (3842)

akta.pro primary industry

Open & Minimally Invasive Surgical Instruments (Handheld, Laparoscopic, MIS) (HLAHADAA)

Keywords

• Medical device manufacturing
• Orthopedic devices
• Surgical instruments
• Medical technology products
• Healthcare device distribution

Headquarters

HQ city

Chicago

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Hardware or Manufacturing

Cost components

Supply Chain, Personnel, Operations, Technology or R&D, Marketing or Sales

Revenue model

1. Medical device sales: Development, manufacturing and distribution of a wide range of innovative medical devices worldwide. Leading-edge medical technology and products used globally to help improve patient care, medical treatments and outcomes.

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels1 record

Core offering

Colson Associates develops, manufactures, and distributes medical devices worldwide through a portfolio of six member companies. Its focus is orthopedic implants and surgical instrumentation supplied to healthcare providers.

Product overview

Colson Associates operates as a holding company managing a portfolio of six independent medical device member companies that collectively develop, manufacture, and distribute a wide range of innovative medical devices worldwide. The member companies include Acumed LLC (orthopedic devices), Apex (Guangzhou) Tools & Orthopedics Company, MicroAire Surgical Instruments LLC, Osteomed LLC, Precision Edge Surgical Products Company LLC, and Skeletal Kinetics LLC. The companies operate independently while receiving centralized management support from Colson Associates on accounting, tax, finance, legal, insurance, risk management, regulatory, real estate, and acquisition matters. A majority interest in the Medical Companies was acquired by Marmon Holdings on October 31, 2019.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Acumed LLC
• Apex (Guangzhou) Tools & Orthopedics
• MicroAire Surgical Instruments LLC
• Osteomed LLC
• Precision Edge Surgical Products Company LLC
• Skeletal Kinetics LLC

Segments1 record

Ideal customer profiles1 record

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Scale indicators3 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights3 records

Direct peers

• Arthrex: Privately held leader in orthopedic surgical devices and instrumentation, particularly extremities and sports medicine. Closely comparable to Acumed and Skeletal Kinetics on product portfolio, surgeon-focused commercial model, and mid-sized independent profile.
• CONMED Corporation: Medical device company focused on orthopedic and general surgery products and instruments. Comparable to MicroAire and Precision Edge on surgical instrument and powered device portfolios.
• Integra LifeSciences: Mid-sized orthopedic and surgical device company with strength in extremity orthopedic and neurosurgery. Highly comparable to Osteomed and Acumed on product mix and customer base, with similar size and product breadth.
• Smith+Nephew: Global medical device company with leading positions in orthopedics, sports medicine, and surgical instruments. Overlaps with Colson's Acumed (orthopedic implants) and MicroAire (instruments and devices).
• Stryker Corporation: One of the largest global orthopedic and surgical instrument companies. Directly comparable to Colson subsidiaries Acumed (orthopedic trauma and extremities) and MicroAire (surgical power instruments) on product, customer, and technology.

Broad incumbents

• Zimmer Biomet Holdings: One of the largest pure-play orthopedic medical device companies globally with broad implant and instrumentation portfolios. Larger incumbent against which Acumed and Skeletal Kinetics compete in orthopedic reconstruction.
• Halma plc: Diversified medical device, safety, and environmental technology conglomerate listed in London. Highly comparable on the holding-company model aggregating specialty healthcare businesses under a long-duration parent sponsor.
• DePuy Synthes (Johnson & Johnson): Orthopedic and neurosurgery division of Johnson & Johnson. Broad incumbent that competes head-to-head with Acumed, Osteomed, and Skeletal Kinetics in trauma, extremities, and reconstructive implants.

Emerging players

• Integer Holdings Corporation: Medical device contract manufacturer and OEM supplier serving orthopedic and surgical device customers. Comparable to Precision Edge on the surgical instrument contract manufacturing model.
• Globus Medical: Spine and orthopedic medical device company formed via merger with NuVasive. Comparable to Skeletal Kinetics on musculoskeletal device positioning and similar growth-stage profile.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights5 records

Customer concentration

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles1 record

Subsidiaries6 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Colson Associates