About Us
joimax® develops and distributes devices and systems for spine surgery all over the world.
See in our history how it all began and how we have grown to what we are today.
joimax® History
2024
February
joimax® and the distributor Uber Ros S.p.A. announce their new partnership for the Italian market. Under this strategic alliance, Uber Ros will be a full sales and service provider of joimax® products to surgeons and medical practitioners throughout Italy.
March
joimax® plays a significant role in the expansion of training offerings of Orsi Academy in Melle. With the support of the European Regional Development Fund, made available by VLAIO, it invested in revolutionizing robotic technology from Corin and latest navigation systems from joimax®. This equipment allows Orsi Academy to further expand its offer in clinical disciplines such as navigated spinal surgery, neurosurgery and orthopaedic surgery, particularly in knee and hip replacements.
May
joimax® announces the launch of its new website alongside a significant presence at the Global Spine Congress (GSC) in Bangkok, May 15 – 18. This dual celebration marks a pivotal moment for the company as it showcases its latest product innovations and commemorates two decades of excellence with TESSYS®, a pioneering technique that has revolutionized endoscopic spine surgery.
October
joimax® announces its cooperation with UpSurgeOn. With the company’s hyper-realistic spine models customized for joimax®, surgeons get the opportunity to train endoscopic lumbar and cervical approaches on highly realistic and accurate anatomical simulators which offer up to 10 operable levels.
At EUROSPINE in Vienna joimax® faculty members make a special achievement on the red stage, by performing all three spinal decompression approaches in only 60 minutes using the UpSurgeOn models. joimax® also announces at EUROSPINE the limited launch of its latest camera technology, the Camsource® Duo and its first robotorized product, the RoboFix® holding arm.
2023
January
joimax® announces executive appointments among record-breaking sales for 2022. Mr. Maximilian Ries and Mr. Anthony Troncale are appointed to new executive positions, effective January 1st. The announcement comes among record-breaking sales across Europe, Asia, and the United States in 2022.
Maximilian Ries takes on the newly created role of Executive Vice President, Business Development and Operations at joimax®. In this position, based in Germany, he is responsible for scaling global operations to ensure joimax® continues its exponential growth. Formerly the General Manager, for the past six of his 13-year tenure with joimax®, M. Ries built out the United States and Latin American markets.
March
joimax® updates the ESPINEA® Training Facility. The newly renovated and expanded Endoscopic Spinal Academy (ESPINEA®) facilities, sponsored by joimax®, makes exceptionally, high-quality training accessible in an innovative and appealing environment. The Academy offers educational and hands-on workshops to surgery teams, customers and partners.
For almost five years, ESPINEA®, which is accredited by the Royal College of Surgeons of Edinburgh, has stood for excellence in training in the field of endoscopic spinal surgery. After the inauguration of ESPINEA® China, joimax® refurbishes and enlarges the existing Karlsruhe training facilities into a modern, state-of-the art center to support their growing educational and training programs.
July
Endoscopic Spine Activities peak during summer 2023 and joimax® continues to lead the way.
From July 13 to 15 more than 80 attendees from 22 countries connect at the exclusive ESPINEA® World Summit in Edinburgh. The July events provide joimax® the ideal opportunity to launch the highly anticipated surgical access systems, iLESSYS® Biportal and TESSYS® Trans SAP, along with the new electrosurgical probe, Vaporace® Bipo, which are key to the endoscopic expandable fusion platform.
October
joimax® launches New iLESSYS® Biportal Interlaminar Endoscopic Surgical System for the treatment of spinal disorders at EUROSPINE 2023 Annual Meeting in Frankfurt, at SMISS Annual Forum (Society for Minimally Invasive Spine Surgery) in Las Vegas and at NASS meeting (North American Spine Society) in Los Angeles, marking its global debut.
2022
April
joimax® experiences a major spike in attendance at its Endoscopic Spine Academy (ESPINEA®) workshops, which contributes to sustainable growth after another year of record revenues in 2021. The growing interest can be attributed to increased coverage in literature and publications as cited on PubMed®. Moreover, the joimax®-initiated workshop program, under the umbrella of ESPINEA®, offers optimal training for a variety of applications and procedures, making it attractive to a broader audience.
October
joimax® experiences major growth and launches TESSYS® TransSAP Endoscopic Surgical System. A significant growth is attributed to the popular workshop and educational program, which is now offered worldwide under the ESPINEA® training academy. To keep momentum, joimax® releases TESSYS® TransSAP — the fourth addition to the TESSYS® family encompassing the standard TESSYS® Std, TESSYS® XT featuring longer reach instruments, and TESSYS® Thx, the optimized version for the thoracic spine.
2021
January
Virtual Global Symposium on the current state of minimally invasive spine surgery sets standards.
Over the course of four days and with over 300 participants from around the world, state-of-the-art endoscopic surgical methods for spinal disorders are presented and demonstrated in live surgeries. Twelve of the world’s most renowned spine surgeons present case studies, give tips and tricks, and allow participants to look over their shoulders as they operate.
April
joimax® celebrates its 20th anniversary. In tandem with this milestone, the company expands their educational program, ESPINEA®, furthering their global reach. Despite COVID-19, ESPINEA® (Endoscopic Spine Academy) training programs, are held in cooperation with the Royal College of Surgeons Edinburgh (RCSEd) and joimax® and are conducted all over the world in 2020, and in 2021.
June
joimax® globally launches its new generation Shrill®, the Shaver Drill System. Developed for the removal of soft tissue and bone, the joimax® Shrill® system is also highly effective in treating stenosis, a degenerative spine condition.
September
joimax® Launches NAVENTO® Navigation Endoscopic Tower at NASS and EUROSPINE. Optimized for endoscopic spine surgery with special settings for the safe treatment of sensitive structures, NAVENTO® is featured at the North American Spine Society (NASS) meeting in Boston in the same month and at EUROSPINE in Vienna in October 2021.
2020
March
joimax® launches its “Keep in Touch” program in the wake of the Covid-19 pandemic:
Faculty report about their cases, their way to endoscopic spine surgery or how they can deal with the current situation and increase their knowledge about endoscopy.
April
joimax® is organising the first Global Online Symposium on April 24 and 25, 2020 entitled “Endoscopic Spine Surgery – Indications, Technology and Limitations”.
On April 24 joimax® founder and CEO Wolfgang Ries hosts a panel with the faculties Dr. Ralf Wagner and Christoph Hofstetter, PhD. The following day Faculty Junseok Bae, MD, took part in the panel discussion.
On both days a theoretical part on transforaminal and interlaminar indications as well as a practical hands-on part are being held. With 430 participants the Online Symposium marks an important milestone.
May
joimax® starts with a new workshop concept: Prior to the practical hands-on sessions on site in the company’s own training centre in Karlsruhe in small working groups (max. 3 participants), the theoretical workshop part is held as an online seminar with the participants.
June
The 71st annual meeting of the DGNC is the first virtual congress and joimax® participates with two “Meet the Expert” sessions and a virtual lunch symposium.
July
A milestone in the joimax® company history!
joimax® receives FDA approval for the introduction of Intracs® em in the USA! This achievement represents another important milestone in the company history of joimax®®. With this landmark the way is paved for a wide adoption of endoscopy in spinal surgery.
2019
January
joimax® GmbH grows and expands office space in Karlsruhe (DE). In addition to more offices and meeting rooms, the Training and Education Center “TEC” is established.
February
joimax® announces new distribution partners in Brazil and Japan and further expands its international market presence as part of the overall growth strategy.
March
joimax® hosts international training summit in Salzburg (AU) presenting innovative technologies, honoring outstanding surgeons with the Kambin Award and introducing the newly founded Endoscopic Spine Academy (ESPINEA®).
August
joimax® and Red One Medical partner to support Expert Endoscopic Minimally Invasive Spine Surgery for veterans and active military. Red One Medical is a leading medical device distributor and wholesaler serving the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) medical centers and Department of Defense (DoD) hospitals.
Official sales launch of the complete and CE-approved EndoLIF® family for endoscopic-assisted minimally invasive lumbar interbody fusion, consisting of the well-known and also FDA-approved EndoLIF® O-/On-Cage, the EndoLIF® Delta-Cage, and the latest EndoLIF® DoubleWedge-Cage.
September
Official launch of the joimax Academy ESPINEA®. With its comprehensive and systemic educational approach to spinal endoscopy this academy offers a professional and high-quality educational program for endoscopic spinal surgeons.
joimax® Senior Management Team
Innovative thinking and execution combined with longtime professional experience are the strengths of the operative senior management team of joimax®.
With over 43 years of professional experience, including 37 years in medical technology and 6 years in telecommunications, Wolfgang Ries, founder and CEO of joimax®, brings deep expertise and leadership to the company. Before founding joimax® in 2001, he held key roles in sales, product, and marketing management. Notably, he served as VP of Business Development Europe at Baxter CardioVascular Group (now Edwards LifeScience) and Managing Director at Saphir Medical. Wolfgang holds a medical degree from the University of Vienna and has completed communications engineering training, along with various business management programs, including the MBA executive course “Leadership 2000” at IMD Lausanne.
Rainer Schmitz, CFO/COO of joimax®, brings over 40 years of professional experience in finance and controlling. With nearly two decades at joimax®, Rainer has been an integral part of the company since joining in October 2006. Prior to joimax®, he held key commercial management roles, including General Manager of Finance/Controlling at TerraTec Electronic GmbH, a global leader in the consumer electronics sector. His expertise includes strategic corporate planning, process optimization, finance, controlling, and human resources. Rainer holds a degree in Business Administration and completed a trainee program in South Africa, along with further studies at the University of Hagen in Germany.
Maximilian Ries, EVP of Business Development and Operations at joimax®, has been part of the family business since 2009. As the son of founder Wolfgang Ries, Maximilian has played a crucial role in the company’s growth. He served as Project Manager—then Product Manager—followed by Integration & Operations Manager at joimax® GmbH before becoming General Manager of joimax® Inc., based in the USA as of 2016. In 2023, he was appointed EVP, Business Development and Operations, overseeing global activities from the joimax® headquarters in Germany. Maximilian holds a degree in construction engineering and business administration from VWA in Karlsruhe. His expertise meets joimax® needs to adapt quickly to new challenges and continued driving its expansion.
Tony Troncale, President of joimax Inc., is a senior business executive with more than 30 years of experience in the medical technology industry and clinical practice. As a proven commercial leader, Tony has contributed to the development of start-ups and Fortune 500 companies in the fields of orthopedics, neurology, and spine. Tony joined joimax® Inc. in 2021 and was promoted to General Manager in 2023 and President in 2025. Since his start at joimax®, Tony has not only expanded his responsibilities but has also leveraged the growing interest in endoscopic techniques to successfully further expand the company’s sales and marketing activities in the USA. He holds an MBA from UNC, an MHS from Duke University, and a BS in Physiology from UC San Diego.
The satisfaction of our customers and their patients is at the heart of everything we do
We develop, produce, and distribute our medical technology products in compliance with the highest quality criteria. This allows surgeons to treat patients with the best possible techniques and enables them to return to everyday life as quickly as possible.
joimax® GmbH, the global market leader in endoscopic minimally invasive spine surgery, has successfully implemented a certified quality management system according to DIN EN ISO 13485, EC-Directive 93/42/EEC (MDD) and EU-Regulation 2017/745 (EU-MDR). In addition, our quality management system meets the regulatory requirements of the US FDA. Further international registrations are available.
