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Investing in the future of medical device reprocessing
Having celebrated 40 years of innovation in the decontamination sector, Wassenburg is now unveiling exciting plans for 2025, with major investment in the UK market and an expanding portfolio of pioneering technologies.
Since Gerrit Wassenburg invented the first automated endoscope reprocessors, in 1984, the company has witnessed significant expansion across 35 countries. In 2013, the company’s growth was boosted by significant investment from the Hoya Group, a global player which includes internationally renowned endoscopy brands, such as the Pentax Lifecare Division. Today, Wassenburg continues to experience
strong growth in the UK and Europe, as well as increasing its market share across some of the largest global markets – including the US.
Expansion in the UK To meet increasing UK demand for its portfolio of decontamination technologies (which spans the entire endoscope reprocessing cycle) the company is expanding its capacity further with
investment in a much larger facility, based in Sheffield. “We are investing significantly in the UK and
are expanding our capacity from 8,000 sq ft to 10,500 sq ft at our UK headquarters. We have set up a state-of-the-art showroom demonstrating ‘clean and dirty’ segregation for automated endoscope reprocessors. It closely represents a real-life decontamination department, so decontamination staff can touch and see our pioneering technologies first-hand. “This will help decontamination departments to visualise how we can provide a 360-degree solution – from endoscope pre-cleaning and reprocessing, through to drying, storage and transport. It is a truly end-to-end solution,” comments Rakesh Javer, Managing Director, Wassenburg UK. “With its significantly increased footprint,
www.clinicalservicesjournal.com Volume 24 I Issue 3 I March 2025
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this facility will benefit from a technologically advanced supply chain department, to ensure the best possible experience for customers. The increased capacity will speed up delivery times across the UK’s network of hospitals, with more space for stockholding, while the extra space will also enable the growth of our service operations, and provide room for comfortable training facilities. This will allow us to host large-scale educational events and study days for decontamination professionals, as well as investing in training and development of Wassenburg colleagues.”
Investing in training for the sector The organisation understands that human factors play a crucial role in the endoscope reprocessing process and training is a vital part of ensuring patient safety, as well as maximising the lifespan of its machines. Wassenburg’s technologies are already renowned for their reliable, long service, but ensuring user knowledge and competency helps to further reduce downtime. Certified training courses are based on
recommendations from The Medicines and Healthcare Regulatory Authority (MHRA), British Society of Gastroenterology (BSG) and HTM 01- 06. This is in addition to Wassenburg’s End User Portal which offers e-learning modules for users of its washer-disinfector and drying cabinet technologies. In April 2024, Wassenburg hosted a successful
study day, which attracted top speakers – including director-level experts from the Institute of Decontamination Sciences. The new training facility will enable the company to offer an expanded educational programme in 2025 – aimed at driving improvement and sharing best practice across the decontamination sector.
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www.clinicalservicesjournal.com I March 2025
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