JRI 50th Anniversary
1977
1977
JRI Orthopaedics was initially founded by Mr Ronald Furlong who introduced the Müller cemented hip to the UK market. By 1977 Mr Furlong opened his own factory in Sheffield to manufacture the implants in the heart of the British steel working industry.
1985
In 1985, JRI became the first company in the world to produce an uncemented hip implant with a hydroxyapatite coating, that enabled a biological bond to be formed with the patient’s own bone. This together with an implant that was biomechanically designed, created the real prospect of a hip implant for life. This product won the prestigious Queen’s Award for Technical Achievement in 1993.
The Furlong H-A.C coated hip stem was a significant innovation in joint replacement. Since its first implantation, over 250,000 patients have benefited from its design and, to this day, it has possibly the lowest revision rate at 10 years recorded on the National Joint Registry (NJR) for England, Wales and Northern Ireland.
Listen to the audio clip from Mr. Furlong talking about ‘The Importance of Fixation’ in 1988.
1985
2007
2007
In 2007, JRI moved within Sheffield to a 5,500sqm state-of-the-art, purpose-designed manufacturing facility. Building on its strong design heritage JRI Orthopaedics continued to innovate; design, develop and manufacturer award-winning, quality products including the VAIOS Shoulder System, Furlong Evolution and Securus Revision Hip System.
A NEW CHAPTER
Until March, 2018, JRI was owned by the charitable organisation Orthopeadic Research UK (ORUK) and JRI gift aided over £12 million to help fund clinician education and general research into orthopaedics for the common good.
JRI Orthopaedics are now part of AK Medical Group, AK Medical are China’s leading joint replacement company and one of the world’s largest 3D-printed orthopaedic implant manufacturers.
The collaboration of the two businesses has created a larger and stronger presence within the international orthopaedic sector and has opened up opportunities that will benefit millions of patients worldwide.
