Karl Storz Endoskope facts for kids
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| Private | |
| Industry | Medical technology |
| Founded | 1945 |
| Headquarters | , |
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Key people
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Karl-Christian Storz |
| Revenue | €2.18 billion (2023) |
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Number of employees
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9,800 (2025) |
Karl Storz SE & Co. KG is a family-owned company from Tuttlingen, Germany. It started in 1945 and makes special tools and devices for doctors. Karl Storz is known around the world for its tools used in "minimally invasive surgery." This type of surgery uses very small cuts. The company also makes rigid endoscopes, which are tiny cameras used to look inside the body.
After the founder, Karl Storz, passed away in 1996, his daughter, Sybill Storz, took over. In early 2019, her son, Karl-Christian Storz, became the leader of the company.
Contents
A Look at History
How it All Started
Karl Storz, who was a surgical mechanic, began his company in 1945. At first, he made tools and lights for ear, nose, and throat doctors.
In the early 1950s, Karl Storz created the first endoscopes. These were special tools with lenses to see inside the body. This was a big step for the company. In 1956, he also invented a flash system for taking pictures inside the body. It used quartz rods to shine light, making the pictures much clearer.
New Inventions and Growth
In 1960, Karl Storz invented the "cold light source." This was a light that stayed outside the body but sent bright light into the endoscope. This made it much brighter than older light bulbs.
Working with a scientist named Harold Hopkins, Karl Storz developed a new lens system in 1965. This system made images from inside the body much brighter and clearer. It also showed more details and better colors. Doctors could even see things in 3D!
An Austrian doctor, Walter Messerklinger, helped Karl Storz make angled endoscopes. These were important for seeing all parts of the nose and sinuses. Later, this special telescope system was also used for examining the bladder.
In 1969, Karl Storz and Harold H. Hopkins also created the first arthroscope using this new lens system. An arthroscope is used to look inside joints.
In 1970, the company introduced a tool that could gently break up kidney stones using sound waves. This made it easier to treat patients with these stones.
As the company grew, it opened its first office outside Germany in 1971. This office, called Karl Storz Endoscopy-America, Inc., was in the United States. In 1987, a major event happened: the first gallbladder removal using minimally invasive surgery. Karl Storz's tools were very important for this new way of doing surgery. This helped the company grow even more. In 1995, another office opened in Canada to help customers there.
After Karl Storz passed away in 1996, his daughter, Sybill, took charge. Under her leadership, the company created over 100 new inventions and grew a lot each year.
In 1998, the company introduced the OR1, a special operating room that could connect all the medical devices. In 2000, they launched the first mobile system for recording what doctors saw during endoscopy. A year later, they released the C-MAC video laryngoscope, a tool with a camera to help doctors see the throat.
In 2007, Karl Storz launched a medical camera called Image1. This camera showed very clear, high-definition pictures of body tissues.
In 2010, the company introduced a system with a high-definition camera for open surgery that still used small cuts.
In 2011, Karl Storz opened a large visitor center in Tuttlingen. Here, people could see all the different medical products and even a model of the OR1 operating room. In 2013, a new logistics center was opened, and another visitor and training center started in Berlin. That same year, the company showed off new camera technology for its Image1 camera.
In 2019, Karl-Christian Storz took over running the company, and his mother, Sybill Storz, became the head of the company's board.
Latest Innovations
In 2020, Karl Storz worked with a software company to create CollaboratOR. This application lets doctors see all their data and digital tools on a big screen in the operating room. Also in 2020, they launched Image1 S Rubina, a technology that uses special light to help doctors see things better during surgery.
In 2021, the company started a big project to make its logistics center even bigger. Karl Storz invested a lot of money to build new production halls and offices. This was the largest building project in the company's history.
In February 2023, a new part of the company, Karl Storz VentureOne, was started in Singapore and Munich. It focuses on robotic surgery. In the same month, they bought an Irish medical technology company called AventaMed. In July 2023, Karl Storz opened the Mach-Mit-Museum Tutorama (Interactive Museum) in Tuttlingen. This museum helps kids learn about science and technology.
In January 2024, Karl Storz bought a software company called Innersight Labs Ltd. In March 2024, they showed an updated version of their CollaboratOR application for the Apple Vision Pro. This allows doctors to see 3D images for operations even outside the operating room.
In August 2024, the company bought a robotics company called Asensus Surgical. This helps Karl Storz grow its robotic surgery division even more.
How Karl Storz Works
Karl Storz is a family-owned company. Besides its main office in Tuttlingen, it has offices in over 40 countries and more than 70 smaller companies. In Germany, they also make products in Stutensee. Other places where they make products include Estonia, Switzerland, and the United States.
The company has 9,800 employees around the world. About 3,600 of them work in the Tuttlingen area. In 2023, Karl Storz had 175 apprentices and students learning on the job. The company earned €2.18 billion in 2023.
What They Make
Karl Storz offers about 10,000 different products. These are for both human medicine and animal medicine (since 1989). They make flexible and rigid endoscopes, which are tiny cameras. They also provide software for doctors, accessories like light sources and cameras, and the OR1, which is a complete operating room system. Because endoscopy can be used in so many ways, Karl Storz equipment is used in almost all areas of medicine.
Karl Storz also designs special examination rooms for ear, nose, and throat doctors. In 2023, 50 of these rooms were set up in hospitals for the German army. The company also helps set up connected operating rooms in hospitals worldwide, like in Heidelberg, Germany, and Buenos Aires, Argentina.
Helping the Community
Karl Storz supports local sports events. They are a main sponsor for the Schwenninger DEL ice hockey team, the Wild Wings.
Since 2004, Karl Storz has been part of the UN Global Compact initiative. This means the company promises to act responsibly around the world and help more people get basic medical care. For example, in 2022, they gave medical equipment to help Ukraine. In 2023, they made another donation to a group that helps protect children from abuse.
The company also sponsors the Karl Storz Telemedicine Award, which gives €5,000 to new ideas in telemedicine. They also work with schools to help students learn about different jobs at Karl Storz. Since 2023, they have a "Schools Day" with the Wild Wings, where students can visit the ice hockey stadium and learn about careers. Karl Storz is also a partner in a project about medical imaging technology.
The company supports the Karl Storz Foundation, which was started in 2023. This foundation helps social and medical projects and works to protect nature and the environment.
Awards and Recognition
- 2011: Named Endoscopy Company of the Year for the Asia-Pacific region.
- 2013: Received a Patient Safety Award for a special probe used in brain surgery.
- 2014: Ranked as the most innovative medium-sized company in Germany.
- 2014: Won Innovation of the Year for their Image 1 Spies Visualisation Enhancement Tools system.
- 2017: Received an innovation award for the C-Mac Pocket Monitor video laryngoscope.
- 2019: Won a Red Dot Design Award for their HyDome duodenoscopy system.
- 2023: Ranked among the top employers in Germany by Der Stern magazine.
