Manufacturing News
November 3, 2026
November 3, 2026 · Kosciusko County · Story 2 of 2
Made Here 2026 Puts Warsaw's Orthopedic Suppliers on Stage With a Bigger Rival
The Kosciusko Economic Development Corp., OrthoWorx, and Priority Medical have announced Made Here 2026, a December 9 showcase running 3 to 9 p.m. at the Manahan Orthopaedic Capital Center in Winona Lake. Twelve contract manufacturers are featured this year, including Tecomet, Avalign Technologies, ARCH Medical Solutions, and Micropulse, with advanced multi-axis CNC milling as the technical centerpiece. This is the second year of the event, and it expands beyond Kosciusko County to the broader Midwest orthopedic manufacturing cluster after a 2025 debut that drew nearly 300 professionals and more than 15 OEMs, including some from Germany.
One of this year's featured exhibitors just got a lot bigger. Tecomet merged with Orchid Orthopedic Solutions in May, creating a combined platform in precision machining, additive manufacturing, forging, and casting. That puts smaller independents like Avalign and ARCH Medical Solutions pitching OEMs from the same stage as a materially larger competitor. The bigger structural question for this entire cluster didn't make the announcement. Johnson & Johnson is moving to separate or sell its $9.2 to $9.3 billion DePuy Synthes unit, with reports since February pointing to a private equity sale potentially above $20 billion. A private equity owner would have real incentive to rationalize supplier relationships built over decades with Kosciusko County manufacturers, which makes Made Here 2026's expanded Midwest framing look like a deliberate push to lock in OEM relationships before that ownership change lands.
- Impact
- Tecomet, a featured 2026 exhibitor, merged with Orchid Orthopedic Solutions in May 2026, creating an enlarged platform in precision machining, additive manufacturing, forging and casting, meaning smaller independents like Avalign and ARCH Medical Solutions will be pitching OEMs from the same stage as a materially bigger combined competitor. The bigger structural risk hanging over this whole cluster didn't make the announcement: Johnson & Johnson is moving to separate or sell its $9.2-9.3 billion DePuy Synthes unit, with reports since February 2026 pointing to a private-equity sale potentially above $20 billion, and a PE-backed owner would have strong incentive to rationalize supplier relationships built over decades with Kosciusko County manufacturers. Made Here 2026's expanded Midwest framing reads as a relationship-building hedge to cement OEM-to-CMO ties before that ownership change lands.
- Watch
- Progress on the DePuy Synthes sale process, a buyer announcement before or around the Dec. 9 showcase would reshape how exhibitors pitch to OEMs in the room.
- For the huddle
With Tecomet now scaled up through its Orchid merger, are our contract manufacturing partners in the Warsaw cluster competing on volume where a bigger combined rival has the edge, or are they differentiating on the complex, low-volume, high-mix machining work this showcase is built to highlight?
Tecomet's size from the Orchid merger gives it an edge on high-volume contract work, which leaves smaller Warsaw manufacturers room to compete on complex, low-volume, high-mix machining instead. Ask your contract manufacturing partners which category they're positioning for before DePuy Synthes changes hands.
Sources
- Made Here 2026 Showcases Midwest Orthopedic Mfg. Ecosystem · timesuniononline.com
Earlier coverage
- AkzoNobel Completes $60M Powder Coatings Expansion, Warsaw Output Up 30%
- Indiana, Ohio Named NSF 'Regional Innovation Engine' Manufacturing Award Winners
- Slate Auto Warsaw Factory (Kosciusko County): First Deliveries Targeted Q4 2026, With Material Caveats
- $10.2M in RESTART and SAEF4 Dollars Target Advanced Manufacturing Apprenticeships in Elkhart, Howard, and Kosciusko Counties
- Slate Automotive Advances in Warsaw While Cummins Pauses a $2B Battery JV
From the brief, November 3, 2026
- Astemo's Muncie, Indiana Plant Expansion Lands as Honda Takes Control
- Made Here 2026 Puts Warsaw's Orthopedic Suppliers on Stage With a Bigger Rival
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