| Industry | First Aid Products and Medications |
|---|---|
| Owner(s) | Acme United Corporation |
| Website | PhysiciansCare Home |
PhysiciansCare is the First Aid and over-the-counter (OTC) medical products brand of Acme United Corporation. The history of PhysiciansCare dates back to 1965, when Acme Shear, the predecessor of Acme United Corp., entered the medical industry, with the production of disposable medical scissors and instruments for hospital use. The business thrived and new products were added to the procedural tray line to meet the specialized needs of hospitals, clinics and convalescent homes.
During the 1990s there were a number of unsuccessful acquisitions and as a result, revenues declined. In 1999, the Company sold the hospital products business and decided to focus on the first aid products line. Today, PhysiciansCare sells first aid kits, refills, OTC medications and safety products in the school, home, office, hardware and industrial markets.
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Acme Shear, a major scissors manufacturer, entered the medical products field in l965, because of increasing demand for disposable medical scissors and surgical instruments. The company manufactured the products and sold them to hospital distributors.[1] These simple devices, formed from coiled steel, could be sterilized, thereby avoiding passing infections between patients.
The company first outsourced the packaging, but because the business did so well, Acme Shear, in 1969, opened a manufacturing plant in Fremont, North Carolina, that met government requirements for the production and packaging of medical equipment.[2]
During the 1970s, medical expenditures increased, and so did demand for medical instruments.[3] Acme Shear, which changed its name to Acme United in 1971,[4] acquired One Time Package Products Inc., in 1972. This deal allowed the company's Medical Products Division to market its own line of products, including One Time disposable procedure trays, disposable stainless steel instruments, and ACU-Dyne povidone-iodine germicide packaged in bottles and flexible packages. Each year, new products were added to meet the specialized needs of its customers. In 1978, the company brought a line of wound dressings to the market.[5]
Acme United’s results flourished thanks to its successful medical products business. This would completely change during the 1980s for three reasons. First of all, the company’s biggest customer, American Hospital Supply, who accounted for $22 million in sales in 1983, decided to start manufacturing medical products themselves.[6] Secondly, hospitals began to pool their orders so that they were able to demand steeper discounts, which affected Acme United's margins. And finally, the company faced strong competition from Smith & Nephew, a medical supplier from the United Kingdom that had recently entered the market.
Despite the difficult market conditions, the company set on an expansion course during the early nineties. In January l992, it acquired SePro Healthcare, Inc., the U.S. subsidiary of the Seton Healthcare Group, PLC of Oldham, UK. With this deal, Acme United obtained exclusive distribution rights to Seton's pressure therapy bandages and specialized wound dressings.[7]
Later in 1992, the company acquired the exclusive marketing and distribution rights for a number of intravenous therapy products for hospitals and the after-care market from OPCO Medical Products Ltd.[8] Also in 1992, Acme United acquired the U.S. marketing and distribution rights for the Royl-Derm lines of skin care and wound-care products, designed to relieve or eliminate the pain connected with skin burns, wounds, ulcers and blemishes often experienced by elderly and bed-ridden patients.[9]
However, the company encountered many problems with bringing these new items to the market. After a few unsuccessful attempts to launch the OPCO products, Acme decided to discontinue this line in 1995.[10] Royl-Derm was also discontinued one year later. As it was launched simultaneously with several competitive brands, which resulted in widespread price cutting and slow acceptance of the Royl-Derm line.[11] Sales of the medical products division declined by 12% in 1996.[12] The reorganisation continued. In 1997, Acme United sold its distribution rights for certain wound care products back to Seton Healthcare International Limited for approximately $2.0 million.[13] The sale did allow the company to focus more on its core line, consumer products.
Because revenues from its medical division continued to decline, Acme United took a drastic decision in 1999. The company sold its hospital products business for $8.2 million to Medical Action Industries, Inc.,[14] and decided to focus exclusively on the first aid products line.[15]
At the turn of the century, the company rapidly expanded its safety product line with new first aid kits, hearing, eye, and head protection, and ergonomic supports and braces.[16] From early on, increased sales of first aid kits, bandages, antiseptics, ointments, eye wash, gloves and barrier masks had a positive impact on the company’s results.[17]
In 2004, Acme introduced the PhysiciansCare branded line of over-the-counter medications including the active ingredients aspirin, acetaminophen and Ibuprofen, etc.[18] The Physicians Care product name would later be adopted for the company’s entire First Aid products line. In 2008, the PhysiciansCare Ready Care Kits and Triage First Aid Stations were introduced and in 2009 Flu Care Kits and a line of safety products with Microban were brought to the market.[19]
Today, Acme United Corporation sells first aid kits, refills, first responder kits and OTC medications under the PhysiciansCare Brand.[20] These products are mainly sold to the school, home, office, hardware and industrial markets. The company owns and operates a U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) facility through which these products are distributed.[21] In addition, a number of safety products are distributed under the BodyGear Brand.
The major competitors for PhysiciansCare are Johnson & Johnson and First Aid Only.[22]