Built for the future

A family company with a long-standing tradition and a great future: here’s how medical supply company Sanitätshaus Wolf in Leipzig has been writing success stories for decades.

The story of the Wolf family of O&P professionals goes back to the times of Otto Bock, who struck out on his own after World War I to provide prostheses and orthopaedic products to the countless victims of the war. Today, the family business boasts eleven medical supply companies, four clinic support centres, 96 employees and two production facilities.

“First” company founder – a friend of Otto Bock

Josef Wolf was around Otto Bock’s age and also recognised the tremendous demand for prosthetics. In 1927 he founded the first Orthopädische Werkstatt Wolf in Leipzig and made the business a remarkable success. This was a development that would come back to haunt him in the GDR era.

New beginning after reunification

1992 was a difficult time in Leipzig and the surrounding region. The field office of the municipal orthopaedics clinic at the company’s old headquarters was slated to be wound up. Josef’s son Peter saw the risks but above all the opportunities, too – and seized his chance. His courage paid off.

The family grows along with the company

Peter’s son Thomas Wolf and daughter Kerstin Taut gradually got involved in the business. Their spouses took part in the company as well. Everyone worked hard. As a result, space soon ran out at the company headquarters again. The decision was made easier for everyone by the fact that two additional members from both sides of the family had now entered the field of orthopaedic technology. “We knew we were building for the future.”

Ottobock becomes the general partner for the new building

The groundbreaking ceremony took place in November 2016. Things then happened very quickly again, with the entire company moving into the new facilities on 13 March 2018. “Only” a traditional medical supply company remains at the old headquarters, which makes small alterations on site and otherwise obtains its products from the new headquarters. “Ottobock took care of all the workshop planning. And that worked really well,” Thomas Wolf says with enthusiasm. “We moved in – and the workshop was ready to use!”

Everything from a single source

Which machines would we be taking along? How could we best complement that with new equipment, in a way that would position the business for the future? The transition from the planning to the construction phase was seamless. Countless questions had to be answered, often very quickly and above all correctly: “What about the piping, where do we need outlets?” Everyone is elated about the result. Today, they are able to work much more effectively. Workflows have been optimised, the latest technology such as the prepreg workshop has been installed, and the company’s walking and gait analysis sets standards. It appears the story of the Wolf family is far from over.