GE snags ultrasound repair business

GE Healthcare has acquired Unisyn's FirstCall ultrasound probe-testing technology.--Courtesy of GE Healthcare

GE Healthcare ($GE) has snatched up Unisyn Medical's ultrasound repair segment, planning to fold the products and services into its swelling imaging business.

Neither company disclosed financial terms of the deal, but GE said Unisyn's technology for testing and fixing ultrasound probes is an ideal complement to GE's offerings. The company's flagship product, FirstCall, can diagnose, repair and test probes, filling the demand for low-cost, high-quality testing, GE said.

"The combination of Unisyn's repair expertise and GE's scale will provide value by meeting customers' needs with a fast, cost-effective and reliable probe repair solution," GE Healthcare Global Services CEO Mike Swinford said in a statement. "We see this as a tremendous opportunity to further grow our ultrasound and services footprint globally and look forward to providing our customers a cost-effective solution at every step of the ultrasound product lifecycle."

GE has been scaling up its heft in the ultrasound world, last year buying Sunnyvale, CA's U-Systems for an undisclosed sum to get its hands on somo•v, the company's FDA-approved device to detect small tumors in dense breast tissue. GE has also poured cash into the development of low-cost ultrasound devices, and the company launched its Ultrasound Innovation Circle in the fall, giving independent researchers access to its technology and talent to develop new products.

Under GE's stewardship, the repair business is poised to do better than ever before, Unisyn CEO Jeff Soinski said. The venture leaves Unisyn with just its diagnostic imaging business, and the company is rebranding itself as Consensys and focusing on servicing multiple imaging platforms. Private equity firm Galen Partners owns the company.

- read GE's announcement
- here's Unisys' statement