Merge sales surge in 1997

Merge sales surge in 1997

Connectivity firm Merge Technologies appears to be benefiting from the coming of age of the PACS market. The Milwaukee, WI-based company posted a 52% increase in revenues for 1997.

For the fourth quarter (end-December), the company had revenues of $2.9 million, up 37% compared with the same period last year. Merge posted a net loss of $566,000 for the period, compared with a net loss of $298,000 for the same period in 1996.

Revenues for 1997 were $9.7 million, compared with the $6.4 million reported for 1996. The company recorded a net loss for the year of $209,000, compared with a net loss of $114,000 in 1996.

Most of the company's sales are generated by its retrofit business, which provides connectivity capability to legacy radiology devices. Merge expects this business to remain strong, as only about 11,000 of the 250,000 radiology devices worldwide are DICOM-compatible, according to the firm.

The company's increasing effort to grow sales to end users also appears to be paying off. The company has boosted its sales via dealer channels to about 41% of its revenues, up from 5% in 1995.

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