COMPANY
STRONG BASE FOR AN INNOVATIVE FUTURE
As a newly founded spin-off of the internationally oriented family business Kettenbach, QUESTALPHA started in 2020 with a clear vision: to constantly work on expanding our range of solutions for our customers. Our base: over 60 years of experience in bringing medical grade sponge material to one of the highest qualities in the world and constantly developing new applications through growing experience.
Together with our customers, the QUESTALPHA team is excited to discover new solutions by the development of specialized solid phases based on new materials or explore further innovative applications that benefit from the versatile properties of our medical grade sponge material Sugi®. We are convinced that we are only at the beginning of the actual possibilities for the use of innovative solid phases.
OUR MISSION
Our name QUESTALPHA sends a clear signal of our strategic realignment for further market expansion – “Quest” for the active pursuit and “Alpha” for the best solution that will be found for each customer.
We not only rely on our extensive experience with medical grade sponge material, but also find further innovative solutions based on other materials to provide the solid phase for the customers that exactly solves their challenges. Therefore, we are constantly expanding our services and research, such as through cooperation with renowned research institutes.
Current projects with the Fraunhofer Institut extend our understanding of the absorbing, binding, retaining, and separating properties of our sponge material. The findings showed great potential in the fields of diagnostics and wound care. But also other sectors of industries will benefit from the use of specially developed solid phases.
The QUESTALPHA team is looking forward to new tasks to convince you with its innovative solutions!
COMPANY HISTORY
For decades Kettenbach has been one of the most advanced companies in the manufacture of medical products. Based in Germany, the company has an outstanding global reputation for intelligent, yet uncomplicated, reliable solutions that are ahead of their time.
In more than 75 years of company history, two highly specialized divisions have emerged: Kettenbach Dental as the specialist for complete solution systems in the field of dental impression materials, and Kettenbach Medical as a leading manufacturer of medical grade sponge material made of natural cotton and regenerated cellulose.
In order to release the full potential of the respective core business and for a clear positioning in the market, the next logical step from this development followed in 2020. The two highly specialized divisions became two independent companies. The objective: to use their expertise and reputation to drive innovation in their respective specialty areas, thereby opening up new market segments.
Kettenbach Medical was then rebranded as QUESTALPHA, a name which much better represents our purpose to lead the strong basis of the unique medical grade sponge material of highest quality into the future.
CERTIFICATIONS
QUESTALPHA is a fully certified company, exhibiting outstanding quality standards.
The consistently high manufacturing quality of QUESTALPHA is monitored and ensured by our own in-house quality control. Certification according to EN ISO 13485, MDSAP and MDR is a matter of course. The in-house R&D department consistently promotes the steady optimization of the product portfolio. According to the maxim “Made in Germany”, production takes place in our in-house facilities.
COMPANY MILESTONES
1953
As one of the leading manufacturers of high-performance absorbent materials made from cotton and regenerated cellulose, Kettenbach Medical has been selling Sugi® Products since 1953.
1964
Sugi® raw material began to be actively sold in the United States, which attracted some of the major ophthalmology customers.
1970s
The Sugi® Eye Spear was introduced and to this day remains one of the best-selling Kettenbach Medical products.
Mid 1990s
ENT products were added to the Kettenbach Medical product portfolio.
1990s
Start of the sponge-usage as a reaction chamber for allergy testing.
1998
Recipe adjustment led to a significant improvement (by approx. 75 %) of the absorbency (= Sugi 2000).
2002
Introduction of the material in roll format for plaster customers.
2002
Kettenbach Medical first visited the Medica in Düsseldorf, which is the largest medical device trade fair in the world. Since then we have been presenting our products there every year.
2006
Servicing the world market leader in the ophthalmic field with roll material.
2007
New construction of the ISO Class 8 clean room.
2009
Introduction of Sugi®-Plast – a wound care product.
2013
Creation of the Sugisponge website due to inquiries from industrial customers.
Introduction of the Sugi® Otoswab – a 3 mm round sponge with retraction thread for special endoscopic ear surgery.
2016
Increase in the production capacity of the sponge to cope with the increased demand.
2019
Celebration of our 1,000,000,000 (1 billion) mini-sponge anniversary. The mini-sponge developed by us is used as part of a cap for intravenous catheters and ensures that millions of people are reliably protected against bloodstream infections every day.
2020
Start of the eye swab facility with a capacity of approx. 42 million pieces to serve the world market leader in the field of eye surgery.
2020
Spin-off of Kettenbach Medical and rebranding of the new founded company as QUESTALPHA.
2021
Extension of production capacities by another 120 sqm of newly established clean room.
2021
Certification according to MDSAP, EN ISO 13485 and MDR. QUESTALPHA belongs to the first 2 % of MDR-certified companies.
2022
QUESTALPHA achieves strongest growth in history with more than 30 % of growth in sales.
2023
World's most modern manufacturing plant for eye spears starts operation in headquarters extending QUESTALPHA's total capacity to a triple digit million eye spears per year.
2023
QUESTALPHA doubles number of headcounts since spin-off in 2020 and extends its office space by approx. 300 sqm. Two new clean rooms and two labs in preparation to meet increased production quantity and pipeline products.