CHICAGO: Made-in-India X-ray or patient monitors with a Philips tag may not be far-off. Parent Philips Electronics plans to foray into medical equipment manufacturing in India through an acquisition or a joint venture with a local company, according to Wayne Spittle, Vice-President and General Manager, Asia Pacific, Philips Medical Systems. "These are early days and there are no targets to name yet."

An Indian venture, when it happens, would make affordable low-end imaging equipment such as X-ray machines and personal healthcare monitors for the domestic and regional markets, Mr. Spittle, based in Hong Kong, said at the company's interaction with global media in Chicago recently. This year, Philips was the biggest exhibitor at Chicago's annual November global medical technology meet put up by the Radiological Society of North America.

In China, Philips has a 51:49 joint venture with Neusoft Digital Medical Systems to make CT scanners, MRI, ultrasound and X-ray equipment for its global markets.

"We have spent euro 3.5 billion on four global acquisitions in the last 15 months and (still) have sufficient needs for M&As," said Philips Electronics CEO, Gerard Kleisterlei. The company, he said, had already seen a major shift towards healthcare.

Mr. Spittle said the total Asia-Pacific medical equipment market of euro 5 billion was 20 per cent of the global market.

The company's plan is to grow to euro 1.3 billion in the region in 2008, up from the current euro 900 million.

In August 2005, it revamped its India operations into one entity, Philips Electronics India, by merging Philips Medical Systems India P. Ltd, the Bangalore-based Philips Software Centre P. Ltd and the lighting and appliances business, Philips India.

`Ambient' Apollo?

Another Philips global push is for its Ambient Experience concept: that of patient-friendly settings for radiology units and operation theatres in hospitals, among others. From India, the signals are coming.

The Apollo group of hospitals has placed the first order worth euro 4.4 million (around Rs. 26 crore) for India's first Ambient hospital, Wayne Spittle, the Asia-Pacific Vice-President of Philips Medical Systems, said.

The Ambient package combines Philips' expertise in medical systems, lighting, semiconductors and design. The effect is soft lighting, mood themes and music to soothe the edgy nerves of critically ill patients, especially children.

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