Swissray lands $40 million OEM deal

Digital x-ray may represent the future for Swiss x-ray manufacturerSwissray, but it is conventional radiography that is the company'sbread and butter for the time being. Swissray announced this monththat it has signed an agreement to supply conventional x-ray equipmentto a major multinational OEM in a deal valued at $40 million.

Swissray, of Hitzkirch, Switzerland, burst on the U.S. medicalimaging scene at last year's Radiological Society of North Americameeting with AddOn-Bucky, a device to digitize conventional x-rayexams (SCAN 12/13/95). Swissray began installing the first AddOn-Buckyunits earlier this year in Europe.

Swissray has not neglected its conventional x-ray program,however, as evidenced by this month's deal. According to the termsof the agreement, Swissray will supply its radiography productsto the OEM, which will market the devices under its own label.Swissray said that the terms of the agreement precluded it fromdisclosing the name of the OEM.

Swissray will supply equipment to the OEM for the next fourand a half years, with initial shipments to be delivered in thenext 12 months valued at over $8 million.