25 Years of Medical Devices: ITVP Combines Experience with Innovation

Knitted vascular prosthesis with a bifurcation for the treatment of pelvic artery aneurysms. Photo: ITVP

The ITVP team in front of the production facility in Körschtal near Stuttgart. Photo: ITVP

Extrusion and stretching of absorbable monofilaments. Photo: ITVP

Production and development from polymer to finished medical device: One area of focus is the manufacture of biodegradable polymers. Photo: ITVP

ITVP is represented at numerous international trade shows, such as WHX in Dubai or, as shown here, at Medica in Düsseldorf. Photo: ITVP

ITV Denkendorf Produktservice GmbH (ITVP) is celebrating its 25th anniversary. On October 1, 2001, ITVP was founded as a subsidiary of the German Institutes of Textile and Fiber Research Denkendorf (DITF), Europe’s largest textile research center. This spin-off company made it possible to consolidate expertise in medical technology and significantly expand production, which had previously been initiated mostly in the DITF’s cleanrooms.

ITVP originated from the DITF’s Biomedical Engineering Department, where research was conducted on textile-based implants and their pre-products.

The team successfully completed numerous projects and brought them into production. The volume of orders soon exceeded the capacity of a research institute, leading to the decision in 2001 to establish a subsidiary, which was subsequently implemented. ITVP’s customers are primarily manufacturers of medical devices, under whose names the products are certified and brought to market.

Today, with 40 employees working in a cleanroom area of approximately 1,200 square meters, the company manufactures products for its customers and develops new, innovative products and processes that offer therapeutic benefits for patients. ITVP’s portfolio includes medical implants and their pre-products across the entire value chain. These range from absorbable polymers to mono- and multifilament yarns to textile structures such as hernia meshes, absorbable surgical meshes and tapes, as well as warp-knitted and woven vascular prostheses.

Recent key milestones include the exclusive licensing agreement with EVONIK for absorbable polymers, as well as numerous development projects with international market leaders and emerging startups.

For 25 years, ITVP has combined the highest quality with state-of-the-art technology. A key foundation of its success is the outstanding expertise and many years of experience of its employees. Production and development activities range from the molecular level to the nearly finished medical device, which the customer need only package, sterilize, and—once certified—bring to market.