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Essel Propack: Acquisition In Medical
Devices Essel Propack (Mumbai / India;
www.esselpropack.com) is strengthening
its medical device operations. On 1 April, its US subsidiary Tacpro acquired
Catheter & Disposables Technology (Minneapolis, Minnesota / USA), a manufacturer
of disposable medical devices and laminated film packaging, from CardioTech
International (www.cardiotech-inc.com)
for USD 1.2m. The Indian company reported 2007 sales up 3% against 2006 at EUR
185m, while EBIT fell slightly to EUR 32m. Net profit declined to just
over EUR 9m from EUR 17.6m due to high start-up costs
for facilities in Poland and the US. Reference:
http://www.plasteurope.com/pie-ticker/detail.asp?id=211006
Medical Devices, The Next Big Step For Semiconductor Makers
Semiconductors, silicon chips that run mobile phones, game consoles, photo
copiers, television sets and almost all other electronic devices are in search
of a saviour-a killer application that can maintain its magic run that began
with the personal computer and consumer electronics booms in the 1990s.
And, it seems, medical applications-growing at 12% annually, higher than any
other semiconductor application, according to market research firm Databeans
Inc.-could well be the knight in shining armour. "The industry
is looking for the next big thing; everybody is searching to find efficiencies
in their businesses-improve productivity and reduce cost," says Jaswinder Ahuja,
corporate vice-president and managing director of Cadence Design Systems India
Pvt. Ltd and chairman of industry lobby Indian Semiconductor Association (ISA).
For these reasons, even though medical semiconductors
comprise just about 1% of the global industry-and projected to reach $266.6
billion (Rs11.4 trillion) this year, according to the Semiconductor Industry
Association, a US grouping-ISA assigned medical electronics top priority
at its annual summit earlier this year. Ahuja says the sector offers unique
opportunities in India, which has the need as well as the capability to address
it. The industry has begun chipping at the opportunity. Texas
Instruments Inc., or TI, recently unveiled a new class of chips for portable to
high-end ultrasound diagnostic equipment, which the company says allows better
image quality and reduced power consumption. In April, TI
signed an agreement with the Indian Institute of Technology (IIT), Kharagpur, to
develop semiconductor technologies for health-care applications-the first
association for the company with an IIT in this area, according to Biswadip
Mitra, managing director, TI India. GE Medical Systems
Information Technologies Pvt. Ltd in Bangalore is currently evaluating this chip
for its forthcoming portable ultrasound products, for India as well as the
global market. Reference
http://www.ibef.org/artdisplay.aspx?tdy=1&cat_id
=60&art_id=19377 |
