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Auto Supplier Sets its Sights on Medtech Market
“During these challenging times for the automotive industry, we’ve remained focused on the actions needed to advance our transformation—and 2004 showed significant progress,” said J. T. Battenberg III, chairman and CEO of Delphi Corp. (Troy, MI), the world’s largest supplier to the automotive industry, in a recent address to investors and analysts. And Delphi Medical Systems, a wholly owned subsidiary of the parent company, is a major part of that transformation.According to Christophe Sevrain, managing director of Delphi Medical Systems, a key goal of the company’s diversification strategy is to become “the leading provider of products, technologies, and manufacturing services to the medical device industry.” Formed less than a year ago, Delphi Medical structured seven manufacturing and licensing deals in 2004, involving both U.S. and international medtech companies. The value of the deals totaled several hundred million dollars. Following is a run-down on the medtech deals that Delphi has executed so far. CareTools Inc. (Seattle): The licensing agreement with CareTools provides exclusive worldwide rights for Delphi Medical Systems to market, sell, and distribute the company’s PocketChart software for both short- and long-range, wired and wireless communication between handheld personal digital assistants (PDAs) and various types of medtech equipment, including IV pumps, vital signs monitors, and respiratory devices. Healthcare practitioners are able to remotely start, stop, or alter a patient’s medication delivery or therapy, or monitor their vital signs. In addition, patient data can be entered, updated, and exchanged as well as synchronized with hospital desktop PCs. According to Thomas Giannulli, MD, CareTools president, “Our licensing agreement with Delphi Medical enhances PocketChart’s reach to medical device manufacturers, enhancing its marketability.” Debiotech S.A. ( Lausanne, Switzerland): Licensing agreement for Delphi Medical to manufacture and market Debiotech’s ambulatory intravenous (IV) pump, and its associated disposables and accessories. The miniature, lightweight, portable pump is both battery and AC-powered and small enough to be handheld, making it suitable for use in homecare and alternate sites. It features remote IT programming and control capabilities that make the pump especially appropriate for telemedicine applications Ophthonix Inc. (San Diego): Delphi Medical to contract manufacture Ophthonix’s Z-View aberrometer, a device designed to provide eye care practitioners with a completely objective refraction that measures the unique optical fingerprint of each patient and enables the production of customized eyeglasses and contact lenses under the iZon brand name. Peak Industries Inc. (Longmont, CO): Delphi Medical acquired Peak Industries for $44 million. The company is an ISO 9002, FDA-registered, and GMP-compliant contract manufacturer of medical devices. SRI International (Menlo Park, CA): Delphi Medical entered into a research and development agreement with SRI International, an independent, nonprofit organization, to develop several new respiratory-care technologies. The agreement will promote Delphi Medical Systems’s exclusive worldwide rights to manufacture and sell respiratory devices that use the jointly developed technologies. The first products of the joint venture are expected during the fourth quarter of 2005. Sunrise Medical Corp. (Carlsbad, CA): Multiyear contract in which Delphi Medical will develop and supply systems and components for Sunrise Medical, a leading manufacturer of mobility aids, home-care, extended-care, and physical rehabilitation products. Zoe Medical Inc. (Topsfield, MA): Under the terms of its contract manufacturing agreement, Delphi Medical Systems will supply all of Zoe Medical’s portable, lightweight vital signs monitoring devices, which are designed for both in-hospital and alternative-site use. Many suppliers to other precision, high-technology industries are increasingly turning their attention to the business opportunities in the medtech sector, but perhaps none so aggressively as Delphi. Leveraging its extensive experience, technology base, and supply-chain efficiencies gained as the world’s leading automotive supplier, Delphi Medical Systems is already recognized as a major provider of products and services to the dialysis, infusion, respiratory care, vital signs monitoring, and power mobility markets. Financial performance information is not yet available for the Delphi Medical subsidiary. The parent Delphi Corp. had 2004 revenues of $28.7 billion, up 2% from $28.1 billion in 2003. The company employs 185,000 and operates 171 wholly owned manufacturing sites, 42 joint ventures, 53 customer centers and sales offices, and 33 technical centers in 40 countries. © 2005 Canon Communications LLC | |
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