35 Years of Precision Surgical Engineering

It brings us immense joy and pride to share with you that Surgical Holdings is celebrating its 35th anniversary this month. As we mark over three decades of excellence and progress, we are so proud to share a special update from Phillip Coole, founder and now Chairman of Surgical Holdings, who gives us an amazing overview of where our journey began, our values and the incredible team that has brought us to this pretty impressive milestone!

My journey in the world of surgical instruments began as an apprentice, learning the tricks of the trade from my father, Fred Coole. The roots of our family’s involvement in this fascinating field can be traced back to the early 1940s when my dad started his own ophthalmic business, before joining Macarthy Medical in the 60s – so our knowledge actually stretches back across four generations! Together with my family, I worked at a factory owned by Mccarthy Medical which supplied surgical instruments, dealing mainly with trade clients and the big names supplying hospitals at the time.

As my family moved on and I was handed over the reins running the workshop, it was a chance to step into the field, visiting hospitals and seeing operations, which afforded some amazing firsthand insights into the intricate world of surgical instruments. I developed a real passion for working in the NHS and how surgical instruments should be made, how they should be used – and why quality is just so important.

I eventually went on to set up a small workshop, where I dedicated seven years to repairing a wide range of both surgical and non-surgical instruments – a journey that led me to establish Surgical Holdings in 1988, initially repairing scissors and manufacturing for the trade, as a contract manufacturer for surgical and veterinary instruments. In those early years, I also had the privilege of making friends in the industry who trusted my expertise and family background. I also continued my education, learning the pitfalls of some of the instruments that were being supplied and then really started to apply myself to make changes that would improve our status within the industry.

In 1990 the business moved into its current premises on Parkside Centre. I was then joined by colleagues from McCarthy Medical: Terry, Geoff and Mark, and between us we had the expertise to cover all aspects of Surgical Instrument repair. The industry was also changing at the time, and I wanted Surgical Holdings to be part of that change. I believed that dealing directly with customers would provide us with the freedom to repair instruments the way they should be. Along came my son Daniel, now Managing Director, who started as an apprentice, and coupled with his background in business and my expertise in surgical instruments, we started to move forward.

As our reputation grew, we began collaborating with Southend Hospital, and our craftsmanship caught the eye of a major orthopaedic company who appreciated our handcrafted quality. The NHS, with its limited funds, of course, presented its own set of challenges, and to get a foothold in sterile services was no mean feat. But we understood the importance of doing a quality job, making sure instruments worked flawlessly, and upholding British standards. This commitment has been our guiding light since day one. Quality was—and still is—at the core of our mission.

In 1998, we achieved our first accreditation to ISO 9001, so we were in a good position to start moving forward and dealing with the local hospitals, and we then stretched it further as the business continued to flourish over the next few decades.

From our humble beginnings as a multi skilled trade manufacturer, today Surgical Holdings is a credible and well-established business, with a reputation for the highest standard of craftsmanship and lasting value. All repairs are carried out by our team of highly skilled technicians, who are trained in both manufacture and repair. We’re passionate about what we do and are keen to pass that wealth of knowledge onto our customers. We believe it is important to educate and train others, to help them get the most out of their instruments and so they last for many, many years.

We also believe that our status as both a manufacturer and repairer – coupled with our heritage dating back to the early 1900’s – has provided us with unprecedented knowledge and a really solid standing in the industry. They’ve all been key to our success. There is no compromise, as a company we believe that instruments should be repaired with the same care and value as they were originally manufactured. That’s why we go the extra mile to repair our instruments to the highest standards, with the same meticulous detail, so we can provide surgeons with reliable, fully functional instruments that they can trust implicitly. Never forgetting that the quality and functionality of surgical instruments play an absolutely crucial role in ensuring the highest standards and outcomes for patients and their safety.

I believe our secret to success has always been our expertise and commitment to doing things right. We don’t cut corners or compromise on quality. We have the expertise to repair instruments that others might discard, and we take pride in extending their lifespan. Our dedication to precision and safety has been the cornerstone of our longevity. Where our competitors might buy a replacement, we invest in simple CNC machines for milling and laser cutting, which allows us to make small components and restore these instruments to a state that’s as good as new. This commitment to expertise and precision is what sets us apart, ensuring our clients across the NHS and worldwide can enjoy what might be another four decades of reliable use from their instruments.

In setting up Surgical Holdings, my aim was to set a new standard for surgical instrument manufacture and repair, ensuring the best possible scenario for the patient and the hospital. It’s been so rewarding to see how far the company has come since then and also how much we’ve stuck to the foundation on which it was built over three decades ago. For me personally, it seems like 135 years rather than 35! When I walk around our workshop in Southend, I feel so proud of what we’ve achieved, and I’m enormously happy to talk to the people and seeing the same passion that I feel shine through. I also feel very proud of working with my son, because it’s not an easy business to be involved in, but it’s a very rewarding business.

It’s been wonderful to see our company grow in the past 35 years, and as we celebrate over three decades of progress, I want to express my heartfelt gratitude to our incredible team at Surgical Holdings, to our loyal customers, and to all those who have supported us over the years. Your trust in our expertise and commitment to quality has been the driving force behind our 35-year journey. Here’s to many more years of innovation, dedication and excellence!