ATL trio takes top spot in bid for leadership

ATL is pushing its R&D throttle full forward in a bid to breakout from what it considers four-way technological parity at thetop of the high-end ultrasound field. A trio of top-level managershas been appointed to provide the administrative punch behindthis effort, said Dennis C. Fill, chairman and CEO of ATL's parentWestmark International.

Fill was appointed chairman and president of ATL in Bothell,WA, last month. At the same time, two former ATL presidents, AllenW. Guisinger and Eugene A. Larson, were named executive vice presidentsin charge of marketing and R&D, respectively (SCAN 1/16/91).

"Both (Guisinger and Larson) were strong presidents ofATL, and both have fields of particular expertise in marketingand technology. The three of us have worked together very closelyfor a number of years. We really are a trio," Fill told SCAN.

Two medical equipment companies--ATL and patient monitoringmanufacturer Spacelabs--function as stand-alone operating unitsunder the Westmark umbrella. In the five years since these businesseswere spun off from Squibb, Spacelabs has achieved a leading technologicalposition in its field while ATL has pulled up even with Acuson,Hewlett-Packard and Toshiba, Fill said.

Westmark's decision to concentrate additional executive resourcesin ATL was based on the premise that more can be gained in thisbusiness through a concerted competitive effort. The parent companyhas boosted R&D expenditures at ATL despite groans from WallStreet, and will continue to direct more funds and attention toultrasound product upgrades and new generations of equipment,he said.

"During the last 12 months, we have accelerated our R&Dspending in both sides of our business, but particularly on theATL side," Fill said. "The reorganization will allowthe three of us to bring greater clout to this effort than anyone of us could have alone."