Press Release

Press Release June 2008: Regeneration of Nerve Structures After Complete Severing of the Spinal Cord
Press Release April 2005: Ergomechanics - Latest News (PDF download)

Regeneration of Nerve Structures After Complete Severing of the Spinal Cord

The 2008 Grammer European Spine Journal Award has gone to a Japanese research group led by Masao Koda.

Amberg / June 16, 2008 — This year’s “EuroSpine”, the world’s largest conference of spine researchers, took place in Geneva, Switzerland from May 26 to 31, 2008. At it, nearly 2,500 physicians, biomechanics experts and biologists shared the latest discoveries in their fields by holding a large number of presentations. For the ninth time, the Grammer European Spine Journal Award was also bestowed there in Switzerland’s second-largest city. This award, which comes with the world’s largest pursue for spine research workers, rewards outstanding basic research findings each year. The sought-after distinction is sponsored by seat manufacturer Grammer AG. Each year a committee of experts consisting of publishers and members of the scientific advisory council of the European Spine Journal chooses the best article published in this prestigious journal during the preceding year.

A Gene Aids Regeneration of Nerve Structures
The 2008 award has gone to a Japanese research team led by Masao Koda. His group studied possibilities for the nerve structures of a damaged spinal cord to regenerate. In adults, the nerve cells of the brain, sensory organs and spinal cord are unable to regenerate after injury to the same extent as in other tissues. Scientists are intensively investigating these cell systems to find out how they differ from other cells that are capable of regeneration. Their findings could help individuals who have suffered spinal cord lesions.

Koda and his team set out to determine how a growth factor affected the ability of nerve structures to regenerate after the spinal cord had been severed. For this purpose, a section of the spinal cord was removed in rats and replaced with connective tissue from bone marrow that had been inoculated with a specific gene (BDNF). It turned out that the BDNF gene actually supported the repair of the damaged nerve cells, resulting in improved functioning of the “lower extremities”.

From Science to Practice
The Grammer Award is very highly regarded among spine researchers. International seat manufacturer Grammer uses it to support scientific endeavors and then incorporate their findings into its own product philosophy. This has led to “ergomechanics®”, with biomechanical requirements being taken into consideration for designing ergonomic products. The company gains direct access to the current state of spine research, which gives its development work a head start and grants it technological leadership in the field of seat ergonomics. For more information on the winners of the Grammer Award, please visit www.ergomechanics.de. The next EuroSpine conference will take place in Warsaw, Poland on October 21-24, 2009.

The publication by Masao Koda et al. has the title:
“Adenovirus vector-mediated ex vivo gene transfer of brain-derived neurotrophic factor to bone marrow stromal cells promotes axonal regeneration after transplantation in completely transacted adult rat spinal cord”. It appeared in the December 2007 issue of the European Spine Journal.

Company Profile

Grammer AG is a globally leading developer and manufacturer of innovative components and systems as well as driver and passenger seats for both cars and commercial vehicles. Wherever people are on the go in vehicles, Grammer sets the standards for security, comfort and ergonomics. The Seating Systems division provides seats for trucks, offroad vehicles, trains, coaches and buses. Grammer Seating Systems is the technology and market leader, supplying seating systems both for first-time installation and for retrofitting. Automotive is the company’s largest division, providing headrests, armrests, center consoles and integrated child booster seats to prominent makers of premium cars and systems suppliers to the automotive industry./p>

As a global player, the Grammer Group operates with a strong customer focus. This includes carefully locating development and production facilities close to clients and an international network of competent partners.

In fiscal 2007, the Grammer Group had sales of 998 million euros with a net profit (EBIT) for the year of 32.1 million euros. Grammer is represented in 17 countries worldwide by 23 fully consolidated companies with a total workforce of over 9500.

„ergomechanics 2005“

Wirbelsäulenforscher plädieren für Bewegung und rückenschonende Arbeitsbedingungen

Amberg, 30. September 2005 – Bewegung, Dynamik und wechselnde Körperhaltungen sind elementare Voraussetzungen zur Gesunderhaltung des Rückens. Starre Haltungen hingegen fördern Degenerationsprozesse der Bandscheibe und leisten Rückenproblemen Vorschub – so das einhellige Fazit des „ergomechanics 2005“ in Amberg. Auf dem 2. Interdisziplinären Kongress zur Wirbelsäulenforschung stellten jetzt führende internationale Wissenschaftler wesentliche Ergebnisse ihrer Forschungen vor. Gemeinsames Thema waren Erkenntnisse, die dazu beitragen, Rückenschmerzen und –belastungen, also der entscheidenden Krankheit unserer Zeit, entgegenzuwirken.

Den Organisatoren des außergewöhnlichen Kongresses war es gelungen, alle wesentlichen Impulsgeber der modernen Wirbelsäulenforschung zusammenzubringen. Zu den namhaften Referenten zählten Persönlichkeiten wie Prof. Dr. Alf Nachemson von der Universität Göteborg und der Georgetown Universität Washington, Prof. Dr. Malcolm Pope von der Universität Aberdeen sowie Prof. Dr. Patricia Dolan von der Universität Bristol. Ergonomen kamen ebenso zu Wort wie Koryphäen der Biomechanik. Durch seine interdisziplinäre Ausrichtung bot der Kongress den rund 300 Fachbesuchern ein außerordentlich breites Spektrum. „Der fachübergreifende Ansatz und das hohe wissenschaftliche Niveau ermöglichten einen einmaligen Überblick über den derzeitigen Forschungsstand“, so das Resümee eines Teilnehmers. Exakt dies ist die Intention des alle vier Jahre stattfindenden „ergomechanics“, der den Dialog der Spezialisten fördert und zugleich dazu dient, deren Erkenntnisse einem weiten Fachpublikum vorzustellen. „In den vergangenen zwei Jahrzehnten hat die Wirbelsäulenforschung viel erreicht“, so der Ulmer Biomechaniker Prof. Dr. Hans-Joachim Wilke. „Nun geht es darum, dieses Wissen auszutauschen, zu verbreiten und zu nutzen.“

Am diesjährigen Kongress nahmen insbesondere Betriebsärzte, Ergonomen, Ergotherapeuten und Fachverantwortliche aus der Wirtschaft teil. Die Erkenntnisse des Kongresses helfen nicht nur zur Gestaltung rückenschonender Arbeitsplätze. Sie fördern auch das Angebot an dazu notwendigen Ausstattungselementen wie gesundheitsfördernd gestalteten Fahrersitzen oder Bürostühlen. Initiatoren des renommierten Kongresses sind der Amberger Fahrzeugzulieferer Grammer AG und die SATO Office GmbH. Beide Unternehmen kooperieren eng mit Universitäten und Instituten in aller Welt, um neue Standards zu setzen. Vorrangiges Ziel ist, eine Sitzergonomie zu etablieren, die der Volkskrankheit Rückenschmerzen effektive Möglichkeiten zur Vorbeugung und Prophylaxe entgegensetzt.

Ausführliche Informationen zum Kongress „ergomechanics“ können im Internet unter www.ergomechanics.de abgerufen werden.

Kurzportrait Grammer AG

Die Grammer AG, Amberg, ist mit ihren Kernprodukten weltweit führend in der innovativen Entwicklung und Herstellung von Komponenten und Systemen für die Pkw-Innenausstattung sowie von Fahrer- und Passagiersitzen. In der größten Sparte „Automotive“ liefert Grammer Kopfstützen, Armlehnen und Mittelkonsolen sowie integrierte Kindersitze an namhafte Pkw-Hersteller und die Systemlieferanten der Fahrzeugindustrie. Im Unternehmensbereich „Seating Systems“ umfasst die Sparte Fahrersitze die beiden Geschäftsfelder Lkw- und Offroad-Sitze (Traktoren, Baumaschinen, Stapler). Hier ist Grammer sowohl im Erstausrüster- als auch im Nachrüstgeschäft tätig. Passagiersitze werden für Erstausrüster und Betreiber von Bahnen und Bussen angeboten. Mit über 8.000 Mitarbeitern in 19 konsolidierten Gesellschaften ist Grammer in 17 Ländern weltweit vertreten. Grammer Aktien werden im amtlichen Markt der Börsen München und Frankfurt, über die elektronische Plattform Xetra sowie im Freiverkehr der Börsen Stuttgart, Berlin und Hamburg gehandelt. Sie sind dem Segment "Prime Standard" zugeordnet.

Kurzportrait SATO Office GmbH

Die SATO Office GmbH, Ebermannsdorf, geht aus einer Verbindung der Grammer Bürostühle GmbH und dem griechischen Büromöbelhersteller SATO S.A. hervor. Das international agierende Unternehmen fertigt Sitzsysteme für Büro, Kino, Theater, Hörsaal und Kongress. Ihre Kompetenz liegt in der Entwicklung ergonomischer Sitztechniken. In Kooperation mit Wirbelsäulenspezialisten und Biomechanikern erarbeitet SATO die optimale Umsetzung medizinischer Anforderungen. Mit den Brands „Grammer Office“ und „TCC“, deren Produkte sich durch hohes Qualitäts- und Designniveau auszeichnen, ist SATO im Bürostuhlmarkt engagiert. Zu den namhaften Referenzen im Bereich Office zählen unter anderem AUDI, Airbus und E.ON sowie zahlreiche Unternehmen im Ausland. Unter der Marke „Projects“ plant und entwirft SATO die Bestuhlung von Konferenz-, Kino-, Theater- sowie Hörsälen.

 

Ergomechanics - Latest News

At a congress in Amberg Germany on September
29, 2005, leading scientists will address current
trends and findings in the field of spine research.

Back pain has reached epidemic proportions in the countries of the
West, and the situation is continuing to worsen. This made been
made vividly apparent by statistics, surveys and cost studies. Yet
the causes of these ubiquitous ailments are still far from being
completely illuminated. Attention still mainly focuses on curing the
symptoms, and efforts to introduce proper prevention, especially at
places of work, are still few and far between. Now, recent spine
research findings could go a long way toward preventing back
problems. These findings will be presented by the researchers
themselves at a congress in September.

New Insights as the Basis for Making Practical Improvements

Because of the outstandingly positive response to the first
international “Ergomechanics” congress in 2001, another will take
place this year in Amberg, Germany. Its theme will be “People as
Sitting Beings”. The event will focus on the stresses to which
spinal disks are subjected, their degenerative processes, and the
corresponding muscular processes. Specifically, it is about how
sitting position affects the muscles of the back and how wholebody
vibrations impact health. It will be shown that sitting comfort
is neither a luxury nor merely an accidental by-product — that, in
fact, it can be systematically improved by involving actual users.
Company physicians, ergonomists, ergotherapists and project
managers from car and commercial vehicle makers should not
miss this opportunity to get up to speed by hearing these cuttingedge
results straight from the horse’s mouth.

The congress will be sponsored by GRAMMER AG and Sato
Office GmbH, the two companies that lead the field in terms of
seat ergonomics. For many years now, GRAMMER has been
conducting an intensive dialog with physicians and scientists
working in the field of spine research. The latest findings are
incorporated into all newly developed GRAMMER products. This
second congress therefore once again aims to enable an
interdisciplinary, cross-country dialog among ergomechanics and
biomechanics specialists and other scientists who are studying the
spine from different perspectives.

The congress, featuring top-caliber speakers, will take place on
September 29, 2005 in the Amberg Congress Center (ACC). The
day before, the congress participants are invited to the group
headquarters of GRAMMER AG in Amberg for an entertaining
evening.

Ten Speakers — Ten Different Perspectives

The most prominent speaker, Professor Alf Nachemson, will open
the congress by posing the provocative question, “is back pain an
overemphasized problem?” and then analyzing how physicians
and policymakers are dealing with this mass phenomenon in
different countries. Then the Munich-based pathologist Andreas
Nerlich will consider the question as to whether spinal disk
degeneration is a normal symptom of aging or a pathological
alteration. The British ergonomist and biomechanics specialist
Malcolm Pope will then finish up the first part of the congress by
presenting new possibilities for studying spine stresses and
nutrition with a vertical nuclear-spin tomograph.

Two British scientists, Michael Adams (physicist and biomechanics
expert) and Patricia Dolan (biologist and muscle physiologist) will
then seek to define the best sitting position for the spinal disks and
the muscles of the back. The Austrian experimental physicist and
biomechanics expert Christian Haid will then examine the spinal
curvatures that actually occur in different sitting positions.

The last part will be kicked off by Swedish physiologist Marianne
Magnusson. She will talk about how vibrations affect the spinal
structures while sitting. Peter Vink from the Netherlands will then
explain why it is so important to involve actual users for defining
sitting comfort at the workplace. After him, the Austrian orthopedist
Hans Tilscher will look at the adverse health affects on women of
working while seated, and then biologist Cornelia Neidlinger-Wilke
from Ulm, Germany will reveal the initial findings of the
EURODISC European research project on spinal disk
degeneration.

Fascinating to the End

The panel discussion planned for the end of the day promises to
be both exciting and entertaining. Professor Nachemson,
biomechanics expert Hans-Joachim Wilke from Ulm, who is also
chairing the congress, and others scientists will face off.
Nachemson’s measurements of spinal disk pressures profoundly
influenced the back exercises that became popular in the 1960s
and 1970s. His results were interpreted to mean that sitting is
more harmful than standing. But Wilke repeated the measures
several years ago and came to the conclusion that spinal disk
pressures are not necessarily greater in a sitting than in a standing
position — and that, in fact, they can be significantly reduced by
sitting in a relaxed posture. According to Professor Wilke, some of
the back exercises should therefore be reconsidered.

April 2005

Grammer AG, based on Amberg, Germany, leads the world in developing and manufacturing
innovative driver and passenger seats for commercial vehicles and components and systems for
passenger car and commercial vehicle interiors. Wherever people use vehicles, GRAMMER sets
standards in terms of safety, comfort, and ergonomics. Its Seating Systems division makes
offroad and truck seats, as well as seats for trains, buses and coaches. Grammer Seating
Systems is a technology and market leader that supplies products for both initial installation in
new vehicles and subsequent retrofitting. In the automotive segment, the company provides head
restraints, armrests, center consoles, and integrated child booster seats to major car makers for
use in premium models, and to suppliers to the automotive industry.

The global GRAMMER Group constantly strives to create conditions that are geared to optimally
serving its customers. This includes selecting appropriately located development and production
sites and managing an international partnering network.

In fiscal 2003 the GRAMMER Group achieved sales of 786.5 million euros and profits (EBIT) of
30.9 million euros. With over 7,000 employees in 19 consolidated companies, GRAMMER is
represented in 13 countries around the world.

 

Ansprechpartner/Contact:
Wiebke Fröhner
Telefon: +49-9621 / 880 848
Telefax: +49-9621 / 880 838
E-Mail: wiebke.froehner@grammer.com

Abdruck kostenlos.
Beleg erbeten an Wiebke Fröhner
Marketing Communications
Seating Systems
Publication free of charge.
Please send a copy to Wiebke Froehner
Marketing Communications
Seating Systems
Herausgeber/Publisher:
GRAMMER AG
P.O.X. 14 54
92204 Amberg (Germany)