Recently a good friend of mine who knows that we at Haas Schleifmaschinen manufacture machines for the production of medical implants told me that the South African Oscar Pistorius, who has two lower leg prostheses, now wants to take part in the World Championships in Athletics in Berlin in 2009.

After not letting this incredible athlete compete in Beijing in 2008. Honestly, I can't understand it, for me the man is an absolute hero and role model in the matter of will to live for all people who wear a prosthesis or an implant. More than 1.5 million joint replacement operations are performed worldwide every year, and I hope that our work at Haas Schleifmaschinen will contribute to making all these people feel better after their surgery than before.

Wolfram Hermle