Del Global launches new digital x-ray product

Success depends on putting past behind

A year after a series of corporate missteps came to a head, Del Global Technologies may have turned a corner. Its launch of a digital x-ray system in mid-May and expected profitability during the current quarter have given rise to new hope within the Valhalla, NY, company.

"We have an installed base of some 15,000 (analog) systems, 3000 of which could potentially be upgraded with this product," said Samuel E. Park, president and CEO of Del Global.

The new product integrates Del's own patient positioning system with an InfiMed StingRay image acquisition station and a Trixell Pixium 4600 digital flat-panel detector. The result is a system that Del executives believe is versatile enough for most general radiographic procedures.

"This creates a system that provides excellent digital imaging at a reasonable cost," said Walt Schneider, president of the Del Medical Systems Group. "We're fully integrating the units here so that we'll have optimum performance in the field with the shortest installation time."

The cost of the system will depend on the configuration. A digital system suited to a hospital emergency room, for example, that uses a tube crane, table, upright structure for imaging chests and extremities, and 65 kW generator, might run $350,000 to $400,000. An orthopedic digital configured with a floor-mounted tube stand, upright structure, and 50 kW generator might cost just under $300,000.

A key feature of the system, according to Del, is its short acquisition time-just eight seconds for some studies. This is considerably shorter than acquisition times using other systems on the market, said Steve Dahlquist, vice president of global sales and marketing. This capability enhances productivity, gives physicians increased flexibility in working with those images, and is cost-effective in a high-throughput environment, he added.

"One unique aspect of the system is tomography," Dahlquist said. "This is the leading edge of digital image technology."

StingRay-based systems will be marketed to hospitals in the U.S. and abroad through Del's network of 185 dealers. The company believes the StingRay products could find their way into many of the 3000 systems that it considers upgradeable.

While the InfiMed/Trixell configuration is not exclusive to Del, Schneider said it would be sold "to meet the market demand." He does not believe a glut of such combined-technology systems is evolving, and described StingRay as key to Del Global's future success.

Similarly crucial is the company's ability to put the past behind it. Though plagued in recent years by a series of financial, accounting, and legal problems, most of those issues have now been resolved. Net sales rose 7% during the most recent quarter reported and the company is predicting profitability in the near term.