DePuy Synthes, a Johnson & Johnson (NYSE:JNJ) subsidiary, became the latest knee implant maker to partner with surgical devices maker Blue Belt Technologies, pairing DePuy’s SIGMA HP partial knee system with Blue Belt’s Navio surgical robot.

Surgeons using the Navio system, which has been on the U.S. market since January 2013 (after winning FDA clearance in December 2012), can select a customized surgical plan for the SIGMA HP device.

"Through this agreement, we’re now able to combine the benefits of the SIGMA HP Partial Knee, which enables surgeons to repair only the parts of the knee that are damaged, with Blue Belt’s proprietary technology that enables more precise implant placement and soft-tissue balancing to advance patient care," DePuy global orthopedic franchise group chairman Andrew Ekdahl said in prepared remarks. "This is another example of how DePuy Synthes is advancing patient care while also making surgical processes and procedures more efficient for surgeons and the health care system overall."

Blue Belt seems to be knocking on doors all over the orthopedic industry, having just announced a similar agreement with Smith & Nephew (FTSE:SN, NYSE:SNN) for its Journey Uni partial knee implant. In March Arrhythmia Research Technology (NYSE:HRT) subsidiary Micron Products signed an agreement to supply components for Blue Belt’s own Stride unicondylar knee implant system, which won FDA clearance in June 2013.

Blue Belt was at the center of a couple of high-profile poaching scandals last year after hiring a former executives from Mako Surgical (NSDQ:MAKO) and Stryker (NYSE:SYK).

In April 2013 Mako won an injunction against former vice president Jeff Gellman, banning Gellman from working for Blue Belt for most of the summer and restricted him to an internal role, with no contact with customers, until the fall.

In March 2013 a federal judge barred another Blue Belt new hire, former Stryker marketing director James Bruty, from attending the annual American Academy of Orthopedic Surgeons conference.