A laboratory at Avidicare Opragon SMK

A medtech company is on a quest to be world market leader for infection prevention

Trade & export
Case study grow globally

For the Lund-based medtech company Avidicare, the expansion of its business has reached a tipping point. The company is a regional leader in designing ventilation systems that combat airborne contamination in hospitals. And now its sights are set on European and US markets. But while Avidicare may know how to prevent infections, it needed Invest in Skåne’s help in spreading itself into one of the most important international markets.  

CEO Peter Höjerback describes Avidicare as “a Swedish innovation company that partners with healthcare to work towards ‘Zero Infections’”. Its main product is the Opragon ventilation system, which reduces the risk of contamination during infection-sensitive surgeries by creating zones or even whole rooms of ultra-clean air. 

Next stop, New York 

Today, according to Höjerback, there are currently more than 250 installations of Avidicare’s Opragon ventilation system in use in hospitals and clinics throughout the world. The company is a market leader in Sweden and the Netherlands, and thriving in plenty of others.

Höjerback says the ultimate goal is for Avidicare to be a top name on both sides of the Atlantic Ocean. “We aim to be the natural and obvious partner within infection prevention in both Europe and the United States when it comes to air handling in hospitals,” he explains. 

Peter Höjerback, CEO Avidicare AB

“Export is more than half of our revenue,” Höjerback says. “And it will grow a lot in the next few years.” 

But to get Avidicare into the New York market in the U.S., one of the most competitive markets in the world, Höjerback knew the company needed a collaborator. Luckily, he already knew of an organisation that could help. 

“I have personally worked on occasions with Invest in Skåne over the last twenty years,” Höjerback explains. He goes on to note that Avidicare is a logical partner for the region’s official agency for trade and investment promotion. “We want to attract international talent here and are part of very strong tech clusters in the greater Copenhagen-Skåne region.”  

How Invest in Skåne helped

Invest in Skåne has helped and advised Avidicare to reach out to markets all over the globe in several different ways. 

“We value the expertise of Invest in Skåne very highly,” says Höjerback.   

In January 2020, Avidicare was able to participate, with the agency’s assistance,  via the Southern Sweden International project, in the leading medical equipment exhibition in the Middle East. Invest in Skåne also guided the company aided Avidicare in finding valuable contacts in various markets through the Enterprise Europe Network, including a distributor in Romania in the summer of 2020. And they counseled Avidicare in applying for finance to expand exports, which led to regional grants to fund efforts to enter the German and American markets. 

“The grants were very helpful for strengthening the clinical evidence needed to establish internationally,” Höjerback explains. And while he notes that such efforts can require lengthy lead times, he then adds: “it has nevertheless given us a chance to present our innovative system to a new market.”

Most recently, Invest in Skåne supported Avidicare’s successful application to the Swedish-American Chamber of Commerce in New York’s Acceleration Program, which is specifically designed to help Swedish companies trying to enter the New York market through a variety of workshops, coaching seminars, and networking opportunities.  

According to Höjerback, Avidicare began the program in the spring of 2021 and plans to continue actively participating, especially when travel to New York is cleared to resume. 

“They helped us find both partners and end users,” confirms Höjerback, who sees massive potential for Avidicare in the huge US healthcare market. “Their facilities are getting old and have challenges in protecting both patients and staff from airborne infections,” he says. “Avidicare can really help with a better solution in the fight against infections.” 

Additional facts

Additional reading

How a Acceleration Program from Swedish-American Chamber of Commerce (SACCNY) in New York can help Nordic companies to enter the US market.

Read about SACCNY

Contact us!

Interested in applying to the Swedish-American Chamber of Commerce in New York’s Acceleration Program? We would be happy to help you. 

Trade Promotion | Management

Jeton Jasharaj

Director of Trade Promotion

E-mail: jeton.jasharaj@skane.com

Phone: +46 40 675 34 78

Cell phone: +46 72 599 83 68

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