technology and other relevant fields is taking place in the Coloplast Research Centre and the product divisions. In 2002/03 Coloplast spent around 3% of turnover on research and product development activities.
Patents
Coloplast pursues an offensive patent strategy, aiming to increase the number of annual patent applications as much as possible. In 2002/03 Coloplast filed 35 patent applications. The total holding of patent rights in 2003 was 244.
Manufacturing
We have manufacturing sites in Denmark, Hungary, Germany, USA, Costa Rica and China.
Product quality
As a manufacturer of medical disposables for the healthcare sector, Coloplast maintains a certified quality management system in order to be able to apply the CE mark. We are only allowed to sell our products in the European market if they carry the CE mark. There are similar requirements in the USA. Therefore, quality management is a vital prerequisite for market access.
Delivery performance
Coloplast's ability to supply the right product at the right place and time is measured regularly. Our own measurements include all orders delivered. Our target for Europe is that at least 98.5% of all products are delivered within 24 hours of receipt of order. In 2002/03 96.6% of deliveries met target.
Sales and marketing
activities are carried out through subsidiaries in Argentina, Australia, Austria, Belgium, Brazil, Canada, China, Costa Rica, Denmark, France, Germany, Great Britain and Ireland, Holland, Hungary, Italy, Japan, Norway, Poland, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland and the USA. We have representative offices in Croatia, the Czech Republic, Hungary, Israel, Portugal, Russia, Slovakia, Slovenia and South Africa.
Growth and turnover
Coloplast is winning market shares within most business areas. In 2002/03, total growth amounted to 11% in local currencies. More than 98% of Coloplast's turnover is generated outside Denmark, including 79% in Europe and 15% in the Americas. In 2003 Coloplast recorded a turnover of DKK 5.7bn.
New products
In 2002/03 the share of new products was 30.5% compared with 29.5% of turnover being generated by new products the year before.
Growth objective
Coloplast's growth objective is to achieve a turnover of DKK 9bn and a profit margin of 18% by 2008. Coloplast believes that the key to winning market shares is innovation in combination with cost-effective and competitive manufacturing and professional marketing in all business areas.
Did you know that......
Coloplast is a Danish company manufacturing medical disposables for the healthcare sector
98% of Coloplast's total output is exported to other countries
the company was founded in 1957 by Aage Louis-Hansen, an entrepreneur within plastics
the name "Coloplast" combines the words colon (latin for the lower part of the large intestine) and plastic.
when a person has ostomy surgery, his
