June 7, 2007 – Philips and VMI-Sistemas Medicos (VMI) recently announced that Philips will acquire VMI, a Brazilian imaging diagnostic company based in Minas Gerais, in a transaction that is expected to close in the second quarter of 2007, no financial details on the transaction were disclosed.
“By acquiring VMI, Philips can offer customers in Brazil and across Latin America a more complete medical diagnostic imaging product portfolio. This is our first acquisition of a healthcare company in a developing economy and it endorses the company’s global strategy of focusing on healthcare and investing in emerging markets, looking for solutions especially developed to address local needs,” explained Mr. Steve Rusckowski, CEO of Philips Medical Systems. Between 2003 and 2006, growth in the Brazilian market for medical diagnostic imaging and monitoring equipment has been robust, expanding at close to 20 precent per year, compared to annual growth rates in the global market of between 4 and 5 percent.