CHICAGO - Siemens Medical Systems is launching a new CT scanner this week with a unique twist: U.S. sales of the system will be handled exclusively through the German company’s Web site.
Somatom Smile is a single-slice spiral scanner that will be the company’s entry-level CT offering. The system is targeted both at international customers and at facilities in the U.S. that traditionally do not have CT installed on site, such as intensive-care units, private practices, or ear, nose, and throat clinics, according to Sabine Duffy, product manager based in Iselin, NJ.
Customers who are interested in buying the system can log on to the company’s Web site, where they go through a registration process and fill out a questionnaire designed to ascertain their imaging needs. If the customer orders a unit and the order is confirmed, an invoice is generated and Siemens begins the order fulfillment process. The financing of the system is handled through normal channels, according to Duffy.
The online effort doesn’t conflict with activities of the company’s regular sales force, because these sales reps don’t call on the clinics and private practices that are the target market for Smile. Many of these facilities traditionally have referred patients to imaging departments for CT studies, and having a scanner on site will give them more control over their imaging needs, Duffy said.
Siemens has also developed a unique new service process for Smile, Duffy said. The scanner was designed using a modular approach, and is broken down into 50 color-coded modules. If one module fails, the customer can send it back to Siemens, which will send out a replacement module for the part.
Smile is a two-second scanner with an 18 kW generator, and can produce 36 seconds of spiral scanning. The system has FDA clearance, and deliveries will begin in March 2001. Smile will also be sold in developing markets by the company’s regular sales force.
Smile will carry a list price of $245,000, which is key for the market that Siemens is targeting. Facilities with the system can break even by imaging less than one patient a day, Duffy said.
By Brian Casey
AuntMinnie.com staff writer
November 29, 2000
Somatom Smile is a single-slice spiral scanner that will be the company’s entry-level CT offering. The system is targeted both at international customers and at facilities in the U.S. that traditionally do not have CT installed on site, such as intensive-care units, private practices, or ear, nose, and throat clinics, according to Sabine Duffy, product manager based in Iselin, NJ.
Customers who are interested in buying the system can log on to the company’s Web site, where they go through a registration process and fill out a questionnaire designed to ascertain their imaging needs. If the customer orders a unit and the order is confirmed, an invoice is generated and Siemens begins the order fulfillment process. The financing of the system is handled through normal channels, according to Duffy.
The online effort doesn’t conflict with activities of the company’s regular sales force, because these sales reps don’t call on the clinics and private practices that are the target market for Smile. Many of these facilities traditionally have referred patients to imaging departments for CT studies, and having a scanner on site will give them more control over their imaging needs, Duffy said.
Siemens has also developed a unique new service process for Smile, Duffy said. The scanner was designed using a modular approach, and is broken down into 50 color-coded modules. If one module fails, the customer can send it back to Siemens, which will send out a replacement module for the part.
Smile is a two-second scanner with an 18 kW generator, and can produce 36 seconds of spiral scanning. The system has FDA clearance, and deliveries will begin in March 2001. Smile will also be sold in developing markets by the company’s regular sales force.
Smile will carry a list price of $245,000, which is key for the market that Siemens is targeting. Facilities with the system can break even by imaging less than one patient a day, Duffy said.
By Brian Casey
AuntMinnie.com staff writer
November 29, 2000
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