A new facility of Philips Healthcare India to make imaging equipment for application in cardiology and radiology has begun operations at Chakan near Pune. The products are aimed at the value segment in India initially, and for export to growth markets abroad subsequently. Set up with investment from Dutch parent, Royal Philips Electronics, the Philips Development and Manufacturing Centre at Chakan is Philips Healthcare's first greenfield manufacturing unit in India, and the sixth worldwide. The first products to be manufactured in the facility will be diagnostic X-Ray systems and the Allura FC - Philips' first India-developed catheterisation lab.

This is the company's sixth centre of excellence in India after Netherlands, Germany, China, USA and Israel.

Commenting on this, Gene Saragnese, CEO-Imaging Systems, Philips Healthcare, said, "In order to make a difference in this market, we need local expertise, low-cost manufacturing capacity and close relationships with our customers. Equally exciting is the fact that several demanding customers in global markets are already using our 'Designed and Made in India' products, and the feedback is very positive." Krishna Kumar, President, Philips Healthcare India, said, "The Pune facility is producing X-Ray and cath-lab equipment backed by Philips' quality that is affordable for Tier-II and Tier-III towns and rural markets." The annual production capacity of these products is around 900-1,000 units.

In 2008, Philips initiated the expansion of its industrial and commercial footprint in India with the acquisition of Alpha X-Ray Technologies and Meditronics, a manufacturer of cardiovascular X-Ray solutions and general X-Ray systems respectively. This enabled Philips to expand its portfolio and deliver lower-cost products that meet the growing needs of customers in India and other global markets. "India and other growth geographies have unique needs. We must meet the criteria that healthcare professionals demand in these growing markets, such as durability, dealing with interrupted power supplies, limited radiology technician time per patient and affordability," Kumar said.