Restructured Hours of Business

We are delighted to announce Firefly Orthoses has returned to full operating capacity following lockdown.

During the period of lockdown, we took time to reflect on our work practices across the company. We considered how we might work more efficiently to offer a more productive service to our customers and a better work-life balance for our staff.

We have identified where efficiencies can be found. These include limiting distraction, where possible implementing automation and prioritizing important high-value tasks and interactions. Achieving these efficiencies means we can reduce the time we previously allocated to breaks resulting in a condensed working day where productivity is equal or greater to that of the traditional 8 hour day.

From Monday 6th of July Firefly’s Technical and Customer Support Teams and our lab staff will begin their working day earlier, starting from 8.00 am and finishing at 2.30 pm.

Firefly’s restructured hours does not mean a reduction in the quality of output.  But instead, the continued delivery of an industry-leading service performed by an enthusiastic and diligent team whose time spent in Firefly compliments their endeavours away from the company.

As always you can submit questions or queries to our Technical and Customer Support teams 24/7 by email and phone and these will be answered within 24 hours.

We are proud to continue our service supporting the UK and Ireland’s podiatry profession and look forward to strengthening our relationship with you.

Firefly Lab to Re-Open June 2nd

Firefly Orthoses will reopen on Tuesday, June 2nd. With the UK and Irish Governments easing COVID–19 restrictions, Firefly will resume the processing of orders on this date.

On June 2nd, all Firefly departments including lab technicians, customer service, and finance will be operational and available to assist you as necessary. Initially, our lab technicians and technical support departments will function with a reduced but complete team, as we adhere to new health and safety procedures. As demand increases, we will re-introduce members of the team in a manner that ensures the health and safety of all team members.

Before our closure at the end of March, a number of orders were mid-production and were not completed or dispatched. If you have orders that were stopped mid-production, please let us know when you plan to re-open your clinic by emailing [email protected], we can then make arrangements for these orders to be completed and dispatched.

Customers with new or subsequent pair orders ready to submit to Firefly for production can do so now but these orders will not enter our production process until June 2nd. Our customer support team will advise when these orders will be shipped to you.

Please note: to avoid “return to sender” courier fees, we will only dispatch orders for clinics that have confirmed they are open and ready to receive shipments.

We are excited to reopen and return to doing what we do best, providing you with industry-leading custom made foot orthoses. Although the new vista and challenges presented by this global pandemic will affect how we all live and do business, we at Firefly are looking forward to continuing to work closely with you as you serve your community in these difficult times.

We are grateful for your continued support and loyalty.

Take care and stay safe.

Team Firefly

Firefly completes European Regional Development Fund Project

Firefly Orthoses is delighted to announce the successful completion of a research and development Agile project part-funded by the European Regional Development Fund and Enterprise Ireland under the Border, Midland and Western Regional Operational Programme 2014-2020.

The Agile project commenced in May 2018 intending to develop digital in-house operation solutions to streamline the processing of orders and improve supply-chain efficiencies to the company’s international customer base.

Over the 20 months, all project targets were achieved with the outcome of establishing an end-to-end digital product ordering and manufacturing solution.

Some of the project benefits include reduced order processing time and reduced lead time for Firefly’s customer base.

Pre-order FUSION now

FUSION, Firefly’s 3D foot scanning app for iPad is now available for pre-order in the Apple App Store. Discover how FUSION can help you achieve better patient outcomes.

Firefly MSK Workshop – Chiswick

Our first Firefly MSK Workshop of 2020 is underway in Chiswick Medical Centre, London. This is Firefly’s sixth MSK workshop event and the first to be held in Chiswick.

The workshop is designed to help podiatrists achieve better patient outcomes by developing their MSK skill and knowledge. As with all Firefly’s educational events, our workshop is accredited by the Royal College of Physicians and Surgeons, Glasgow with attendees receiving 6 CPD points.

The workshop covers three core topics: force vs alignment [just a little theory], MSK assessments and prescription writing. The workshop is designed around practical hands-on learning where attendees are encouraged to get involved and demonstrate MSK assessments on one another as part of the learning process.

Firefly will be delivering future MSK workshops across the UK and Ireland in 2020. To keep up to date on our educational events join our educational mailing list!

FIREFLY IS NOW AN APPROVED JOSCAR SUPPLIER

Firefly Orthoses Ltd is now an approved supplier on the Joint Supply Chain Accreditation Register (JOSCAR).

This means Firefly Orthoses’ has optimised its policies and procedures to adhere to a more streamlined supply chain process as set out by Leidos.

Firefly’s products are now available to all major buying organisations using JOSCAR.

Meeting the JOSCAR approval requirements has implemented improvements to the way Firefly manages Supplier Assurance information by minimising risk within Firefly’s supply chain.

FUSION: Firefly’s foot scanning app for iPad

What is FUSION?

At the recent College of Podiatry Conference 2019, we offered delegates a sneak peek of FUSION, Firefly’s portable foot scanning application for iPad and we are delighted to report it caused quite a buzz!

We are working hard to present the podiatric profession an app for iPad that will bring efficiencies to how podiatrists capture patient foot data and create foot orthotic prescriptions. 

How will FUSION compare to other 3D scanning apps?  

We have used and reviewed many of the foot scanning apps currently available to the profession. We have identified where some of these apps fall short and how they could be improved. FUSION incorporates the best from these apps and goes further offering new and innovative features unique to the FUSION app! 

You will discover several features that will help you achieve better patient outcomes. These include FUSION’s Favourites Templates – create and save device types and spec you frequently order, FUSION’s dashboard allows you see where your order is in Firefly’s manufacturing process and you can quickly and easily order second and subsequent sets of orthoses with the touch of a button!

When will it be released? 

We don’t have a specific release date for FUSION but hope to publish in Apple’s App Store in mid to late February 2020. We are testing the app within our clinical division of Firefly Foot & Ankle Clinics and among a select number of associated Firefly podiatrists.   

Why do I want it? 

Aside from the obvious benefits of no longer having to be reliant on plaster of Paris or foam box impressions, FUSION integrates Firefly’s prescription form and the Structure Sensor’s advanced scanning technology allows podiatrists capture patient foot data anywhere, whether in clinic or on domiciliary visits. 

FUSION aligns with Firefly’s 3D printed custom foot orthoses to offer a start-to-finish digital prescription and manufacture experience. Further details on our 3D printed devices will be announced in the coming months.   

Will the app be available for Android? 

Currently, there are no plans to roll out FUSION on any Android platforms. This is because FUSION requires Structure Sensor’s scanning hardware which is designed for Apple products only.   

Firefly Announce Richie Brace Workshop

Grow your skill-set and treat a broader scope of patient with the Firefly Richie Brace Workshop.

At Firefly we repeatedly see how bracing therapy offers in life-changing results for patients across the UK and Ireland. 

Through education and by building confidence we know more podiatrists could be successfully delivering bracing therapy as part of their clinical offering. That’s why we’re delighted to announce the first Firefly Richie Brace Workshop, that will take place on January 25th, 2020 in London. 

The Richie Brace range of custom ankle braces are frequently used to treat complex foot and ankle pathologies consistently producing excellent results.

Pathologies commonly treated by prescribing the Riche Brace include: 

  • Lateral Ankle Instability, 
  • Degenerative Joint Disease 
  • Adult Acquired Drop Foot 

About the Richie Brace Workshop

The workshop will be held in Chiswick Medical Centre in West London from 9.30am to 2.00pm.

The workshop is accredited by the Royal College of Physicians and Surgeons, Glasgow. Tap the button below to find out more and to enrol on the workshop.

About the Richie Brace

The Richie Brace is a revolutionary alternative to traditional ankle braces and ankle-foot orthoses (AFO’s). The lightweight construction and low profile design features of the Richie Brace allows better shoe fit, more freedom of movement and reduced pain from injury. 

The Richie Brace is fabricated from an impression cast taken from the patient’s foot and lower leg. It’s lightweight, low-profile design is preferred by patients over traditional longer leg solid shell ankle foot orthoses.

Firefly reveal first 3D printed foot orthotics

We are excited to announce the production and distribution of our first batch of 3D printed foot orthotics.  The move to produce 3D printed orthotics is part of a company-wide policy of adopting more processes and procedures that align with current and future technologies, both in the manufacture of orthoses and in how podiatrists interact with their patients during the prescription processes.

Initial sets of 3D printed orthotics have been produced and shipped to select Firefly associate podiatrists.

Developments in technology have allowed for new manufacturing methods to produce products that offer more benefits for both the podiatrist and patient.

Our state of the art devices are constructed by a multi-jet fusion process which provides unprecedented design freedom for Firefly to create innovative designs to help the podiatrist achieve better patient outcomes.

Our 3D printed range will allow for quicker turn around times which means the podiatrist can have prescription orthoses back with the patient for fitting quicker.

For the patient, the manufacturing technique changes the boundaries of what is achievable. Firefly is working on innovative designs that will allow the podiatrist treat complex foot and ankle pathologies by selecting from a suite of 3D printed device types with novel design features. Lower-level patient benefits include personalisation of devices by potentially incorporating the patients name in the product design.

Greater numbers of Firefly associate podiatrists are using the iOS/Structure Sensor scanning combination to capture patient foot data. This has lead to Firefly producing our own iPad scanning application that is due for release in the coming months.

Firefly MSK Workshop | Dundalk

The Firefly MSK Workshop is returning to Ireland this September. Learn effective MSK assessments and
foot orthotic prescription writing techniques so you can achieve better patient outcomes.