RTI Biologics Achieves 98.7 Percent Equipment Performance Rating – Recognized in Evolution Magazine

ALACHUA, Fla.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--

RTI Biologics Inc. (RTI) RTIX, a leading provider of orthopedic and other biologic implants, was recognized in the 2011 fourth edition of Evolution magazine for achieving a 98.7 percent equipment performance rating for its facilities and processing equipment. Evolution magazine is published by SKF Group, a global company which provides condition monitoring to RTI.

In 2007, the RTI facilities team began transitioning to a condition-based maintenance program in the company's 65,000 sq. ft. processing facility. The program combines skilled and trained personnel, specific predictive maintenance tools and equipment, and analysis of data such as vibration analysis, oil quality, thermal and infrared readings from the facility equipment. Using this data, the facilities team can predict when equipment failure might occur and therefore, equipment can be repaired at convenient times that will minimize work flow disruptions. Since the implementation of the program, the equipment performance rating for RTI went from 80 percent to 98.7 percent over four years, placing RTI among the top echelons of facilities in the U.S.

In 2010, RTI was the first U.S.-based company to implement an advanced vibration-detection technology to monitor the health of its machinery. RTI was selected for the initial implementation honor by SKF, developer of the technology, based on the work the company had already been doing to move to a condition-based maintenance program. The SKF machinery health reporting system allows the RTI facilities team to track machinery performance issues more accurately, trend patterns farther in advance and sustain high machinery performance levels.

“The investment of time and resources into condition-based maintenance has been very important to RTI,” said Chuck Ratliff, RTI director of facilities. "Because of the intricacy of our processes and the importance of protecting donor tissue it is critical that our equipment be reliable and accurate.”

“We are very proud of our facilities team for achieving such high standards in equipment maintenance," said Thomas F. Rose, RTI executive vice president and chief operations officer. “Our facility is unlike most others, in that our technicians are preparing human donated tissue for transplantation for recipients around the country. Most companies cannot afford the disruption in work flow that equipment failures bring, but when your company is the crucial step between tissue donation and transplantation, you have additional responsibility for ensuring your equipment is always in top condition.”

About RTI Biologics

RTI Biologics Inc. is a leading provider of sterile biologic implants for surgeries around the world with a commitment to advancing science, safety and innovation. RTI prepares human donated tissue and bovine tissue for transplantation through extensive testing and screening and using proprietary processes. These allograft and xenograft implants are used in orthopedic, dental and other specialty surgeries.

RTI's innovations continuously raise the bar of science and safety for biologics – from being the first company to offer precision-tooled bone implants and assembled technology to maximize each gift of donation, to inventing validated sterilization processes that include viral inactivation steps. Two such processes – the BioCleanse® Tissue Sterilization Process and the Tutoplast® Tissue Sterilization Process – have a combined record of millions of implants distributed with zero incidence of allograft-associated infection. These processes have been validated by tissue type to inactivate or remove viruses, bacteria, fungi and spores from the tissue while maintaining biocompatibility and functionality.

RTI's worldwide corporate headquarters are located in Alachua, Fla., with international locations in Germany and France. The company is accredited by the American Association of Tissue Banks in the United States and is a member of AdvaMed.

About SKF Group and Evolution

SKF Group (SKF) is a leading global supplier of bearings, seals, mechatronics, lubrication systems, and services which include technical support, maintenance and reliability services, engineering consulting and training. SKF is represented in more than 130 countries and has 15,000 distributor locations worldwide.

Evolution is a business and technology magazine issued by SKF. The print version is published four times a year in 12 editions – U.S. and British English, Chinese, Czech, French, German, Hungarian, Italian, Polish, Russian, Spanish and Swedish.

The online version of Evolution is published in eight editions – U.S. and British English, French, German, Italian, Russian, Spanish and Swedish.