Siemens plans labor reductions; focuses on efficient production
October 7th 1992Siemens will reduce its worldwide medical work force by 1800 jobsin fiscal 1993 (end-September). Half the reductions in force willtake place in Germany and half elsewhere. The move reflects bothsluggishness in medical equipment sales worldwide and the
DMI seeks fresh equity for the PACS long haul
October 7th 1992Business in the picture archiving and communications systems marketis tough all over, but the smaller PACS companies sometimes haveit the toughest. They must clear a higher hurdle when potentialcustomers show concern about their staying power in the
Esaote builds unit to catch niche MRI trend
October 7th 1992Esaote Biomedica of Genoa, Italy, will reestablish itself as acommercial MRI manufacturer next month with the introduction ofa small-bore 0.2-tesla permanent magnet scanner dedicated to jointimaging. The midsized imaging vendor chose to focus on niche
Gendex finalizes Eureka X-ray Tube acquisition
September 3rd 1992Gendex continued its acquisition drive with the purchase of EurekaX-ray Tube from Siemens last month. The Des Plaines, IL, manufacturerof dental and medical x-ray systems paid $10.3 million for thebusiness, with $4 million of the price financed
Metriflow pioneers trend to market niche MR
September 3rd 1992Niche MR may be an emerging market, but it is not a totally newfocus of corporate attention. Metriflow Medical Systems of Milwaukeeobtained Food and Drug Administration approval of its AFM-100blood flow scanner five years ago. The firm is just now
Toshiba heart study promotes good cause
August 26th 1992Toshiba America Medical Systems has found a way to mix marketingwith a social conscience. The Tustin, CA, vendor launched a nationalprogram last year to screen high-school athletes for heart abnormalities,using Toshiba's SSH-140A portable color Doppler
Siemens' Haas takes on challenge at Fidelity
August 26th 1992A former Siemens top medical executive with a reputation as aturnaround specialist has assumed the reins of struggling fluoroscopyimage enhancement firm Fidelity Medical. Werner J. Haas replacedFidelity's previous chief, Efraim Landa, who resigned
Cytocare overcomes class action suit
August 12th 1992Cytocare squelched a class action suit in May that had been promptedby the firm's declining fortunes in the lithotripsy market anda corresponding drop in stock price. A Santa Ana, CA, federaldistrict judge granted the firm's summary motion to dismiss
MGH/Winthrop lab speeds agent R&D
August 12th 1992Pharmaceutical company Sterling Winthrop and researchers at MassachusettsGeneral Hospital have moved their joint contrast development effortinto high gear. The cooperative venture should broaden the applicationsof medical imaging in drug research, both
Service key to Shimadzu expansion
August 12th 1992New Shimadzu Medical Systems general manager Takeshi Nakanishibelieves better service is essential if the Japanese manufacturinggiant is to expand its toehold in the U.S. MRI market. Shimadzu has placed only 12 systems since entering the U.S.market in
Europe's PACS train heads on faster track
August 12th 1992If there is a fast track for PACS, it is winding its way throughEurope. U.S. hospitals, weighed down by older computer and imagingsystems technology, lag behind their European counterparts inembracing standardized health-care computer networks.
MRI manufacturers feel pinch of slumping sales
July 29th 1992A downturn in new freestanding imaging center growth, coupledwith buyer anxiety in other health-care sectors, has made 1992a disappointing year for new MRI system placements in the U.S. Manufacturers will sell about 500 new systems in the U.S.
MRI pressures heighten user savvy
July 29th 1992MRI users have found their voices in calling the technologicaltune. Increased competition in the worldwide MRI market has givencustomers more leverage in the purchase process. They are demandingand obtaining warranties on MRI systems that have long been
Acuson expands beyond radiology as ultrasound popularity grows
July 29th 1992Major changes are under way at Acuson. The long-time leader inthe supply of high-end radiology ultrasound scanners is broadeningits corporate focus and restructuring operations to meet the requirementsof an increasingly diverse user base. As clinical
Siemens initiates sales of MR mammography coil
July 15th 1992Siemens Medical Systems became the first vendor to test demandfor high-field MR mammography with the recent introduction ofa double breast coil. But the coil could be a product in searchof a niche: While radiologists extol the promise of MR
Corporate equity grows as center funding source
July 15th 1992Corporatization of U.S. imaging services will accelerate overthe next few years--and not only as an expedient reaction to rulesagainst referring-physician ownership of medical imaging centers.Corporate owners of multiple centers are better positioned
Philips' choice of Moakley as CEO points to U.S. medical improvement
July 1st 1992Dutch conglomerate Philips Electronics chose Michael P. Moakley,president of Philips Medical Systems North America, to replaceretired Hans van Bree as worldwide president and CEO of PhilipsMedical Systems International last month. Not only will Moakleybe