Swedish company AddLife has purchased MBA Surgical Empowerment, an independent orthopaedic and trauma surgery distribution business. A specialist in Life Sciences that offers products, services and consultancy in both the public and private sectors, AddLife will keep the Spanish company as a sub-group, separate from the parent company, and integrate it into the medtech business area.

Based in Gijón (Asturias) and with 285 employees, 88% of MBA's business transactions take place in Spain. The rest are split between 7% in Portugal and 5% in Italy. The company noted future growth opportunities in these markets to highlight its appeal to AddLife. It also emphasised the official statistics which, it states, rank Spain as the fifth largest medtech market in Europe.

Expansion strategy
AddLife does in fact describe the operation as a step forward that strengthens its position in advanced surgery and fits in with its plans to expand into significant niches in Europe. Another figure that demonstrates how MBA has been becoming more important in recent years is its annual growth, which has remained constant at 5% since 2016.

In 2021, MBA turned over approximately 67 million euros and achieved an EBITDA margin of about 17%. The Swedish company will pay out 111 million euros to acquire 100% of its shares. Approximately 7% of these shares were owned by Alantra Private Equity, while the rest were shared between various minority shareholders.

Therapeutic areas
Founded in 1988, MBA operates in ten therapeutic areas, with a particularly important role in orthopaedic implants for hip, knee and shoulder replacements. Their products and solutions designed mainly for back surgery and neurosurgery, trauma and anaesthesia are also particularly impressive. Their client base consists of over 950 different hospitals.

MBA also has its own academy, the MBA Institute, where it provides training for its staff members and end users, such as nurses and doctors who work in surgery. The management team will maintain their responsibilities following the acquisition.

AllLife sped up the agreement on 22 December. At the time, its executive director, Kristina Willgård, explained: "I'm so excited about this acquisition. MBA is providing us with a solid gateway into Spain, one of the biggest medtech markets in Europe, as well as a larger presence in Italy and an introduction to Portugal. There are lots of different opportunities within the group for cooperation among our companies in the niches in which MBA is currently the frontrunner. There are surprising similarities between the AddLife and MBA cultures, and these will be the foundation for further joint developments in the future."

^{Photo: MBA Surgical Empowerment}