On December 22, Nanos Medical (Shanghai) Co., Ltd. (hereinafter referred to as Nanos Medical), an ENT solution provider in China, announced the full acquisition of Endodoctor GmbH (hereinafter referred to as Endodoctor), a well-known German endoscope R&D, production and service enterprise.

The acquisition marks the first overseas acquisition by a local medical device company in the ENT track in the endoscope sector. After the acquisition, Endodoctor, a wholly-owned German subsidiary, will become the R&D, production and service center of Nanos Group in the field of high-end endoscopes, and the founding and operating team of Endodoctor will all remain in place and continue to be responsible for R&D, production, maintenance, as well as commercialization and sales in Europe, the Middle East and other international markets. At the same time, Nanos Medical is accelerating the registration, listing and sales of Endodoctor’s high-end endoscope products in the Chinese market, and plans to use its endoscope maintenance technology accumulated for decades to serve Chinese customers.

Headquartered in Tuttlingen, Germany, the world center of medical technology, Endodoctor’s founders and core team have nearly 30 years of experience in endoscope R&D, production, sales and maintenance of multi-brand endoscopes and all products are manufactured in Tuttlingen, Germany. It offers comprehensive options of rigid endoscopic products, which are applicable to all professional fields of human medicine and veterinary medicine. Of particular importance is the fact that Endodoctor develops and produces endoscopes that are compatible with products of almost all major medical device manufacturers. In addition to its own brands, Endodoctor also acts as an OEM for partners in the assembly of specific precision components, mass production of existing product lines and development of new devices.

“The acquisition will create synergy with the layout of the existing imaging system product line of Nanos Medical, and will enhance Nanos Medical’s capabilities in endoscope R&D, production, maintenance and docking with the global industry chain. The founder and operation team of Endodoctor will also remain in office to join Nanos Medical and contribute to the development and growth of Nanos Medical. As the German subsidiary of Nanos Group, Endodoctor will become the R&D and manufacturing center for the Group’s high-end endoscopes in the future.” said Cui Teng, Founder and Chairman of Nanos Medical.

After the acquisition, Nanos Medical will fully start the registration of German endoscopes in China, and enhance the enterprise’s local imaging system product pipeline in terms of performance and production. At present, the imaging system products of Nanos Medical include both local and imported series, and involve ENT, urology, gynecology, orthopedics, etc. The acquisition of German Endodoctor will diversify Nanos’ layout in this field. At the same time, Endodoctor’s products have high cost performance, and will better meet the multi-level product demand of the domestic medical market after being approved for marketing in China in the future. In addition, Nanos’ local imaging system will adopt Endodoctor’s core parts to enhance product competitiveness.

Thomas Schneider-Strittmatter, Co-founder of Endodoctor, said, “We are optimistic about the growth potential of the Chinese market, which represents not only a fast-growing market, but also puts forward higher and more diversified requirements for our R&D, production and integrated solutions. Nanos is not only a strategic acquirer, also an enabler for our internationalization. We are confident to accelerate our commercialization in China and professional empowerment of our parent company’s China business. “

According to Frost & Sullivan’s forecast, the global market for medical endoscopes will increase from US$ 20.3 billion in 2020 to US$ 39.6 billion in 2030. The development of the domestic endoscope market is relatively mature and highly concentrated. According to the data provided by the 2020 China Medical Device Industry Development Report, in the field of devices like rigid endoscope, three foreign companies, namely Carl Storz, Olympus and Stryker, occupy more than 80% of the market share. Domestic products have not yet replaced imported products, indicating that there are high barriers in the rigid endoscope market, especially in the precision manufacturing process, optical technology, image processing technology, patents and pre-sales training and after-sales service system.

Nanos Medical introduced that the endoscope produced by Endodoctor has the advantages of good performance, long durability and good lens technology, and the price is lower than that of similar imported products. Endodoctor has more than one-third of its business from endoscope maintenance services and parts sales, and has the ability and experience of combining R&D with multiple platforms. It can adjust endoscopes’ performance according to the specific needs of the market in a short time.