Philips Electronics India Ltd has commenced operations at greenfield healthcare manufacturing facility for imaging systems in Chakan, near Pune.
This is the company's sixth centre of excellence in India after Netherlnds, Germany, China, USA and Israel.
This manufacturing facility will focus on diagnostic imaging solutions, initially developed for the Indian market and then for global markets.
These solutions will primarily target cardiology (catheterisation lab) and radiology (general X-ray) applications.
Commenting on this, Gene Saragnese, CEO Imaging Systems at Philips Healthcare said, “In order to make a difference in this market, we need local expertise, low-cost manufacturing capacity and close relationships with our customers.
Equally exciting, several demanding customers in global markets are already using our ‘Designed and Made in India’ products, and the feedback is very positive."
Krishna Kumar, President, Philips Healthcare India said, " The Pune facility is producing X- ray and cath-lab equipment backed by Philips quality that is affordable for tier-two and tier-three towns and rural markets.
Many of the products and components developed in Pune can also serve the needs of mature markets looking to replace or upgrade entry-level diagnostic devices.
The first products to be manufactured in the facility will be diagnostic X-Ray systems and the Allura FC – Philips’ first India developed cauterization lab.
The Allura FC is used in the diagnosis and minimally-invasive treatment of cardiovascular disease.
The annual production capacity of these products is around 900-1000 units.
The research and development for all the products of Philips is done in its Bangalore R & D centre.
The facility will manufacture products for oncology, critical care and respiratory care along with radiology and cardiology.
Krishna Kumar added, “India and other growth geographies have unique needs. We must meet the criteria that healthcare professionals demand in these growing markets, such as durability, dealing with interrupted power supplies, limited radiology technician time per patient and affordability. Our ‘Designed and Made’ in India products tick all these boxes.”
In 2008, Philips initiated the expansion of its industrial and commercial footprint in India with the acquisition of Alpha X-ray Technologies and Meditronics, a manufacturers of cardiovascular X-ray solutions and general X-ray systems, respectively.
This enabled Philips to expand its portfolio and deliver lower cost products that meet the growing needs of customers in India and other global markets.
