by
John W. Mitchell, Senior Correspondent | June 07, 2021
From the June 2021 issue of HealthCare Business News magazine
Hart was on a plane the next morning. Working with two trusted contractors, fully-loaded tool crates were shipped in and catered meals arranged to keep the crews on-site for the entire workday. They were able to get the nuclear medicine camera installed with enough lead time for the application team to meet the opening day of class.
OEMs and third-parties
While it’s easy to think of them as separate, equipment manufacturers and third-party logistics teams often enjoy a symbiotic relationship. According to Senne, it's not unusual to see a spike in the number of OEM projects at the end of the fiscal year, as OEMs look to hit their project numbers for the year. For them, it sometimes makes more sense to keep technicians in the field fulfilling service contracts than performing installs. Plus, depending on geographic location, it may cost less for an OEM to hire a third party to handle an installation due to high travel costs.
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“Our technicians are dedicated strictly to installs,” said Senne. “They stay on-site from the start until completion which, depending on the OEM, can be from delivery to ramp-up of the system. This allows for high-volume repetition, leading to shorter install times and significantly faster revenue recognition for the OEM.”
One helpful change over the last decade or so is that the imaging equipment is not as heavy as it used to be.
“We’re looking at a footprint for the larger modalities of about 13,000 pounds now, compared to 30,000 pounds on the older equipment,” Lemler with MXR Imaging explained. “It’s easier to configure the footprint with lighter equipment. Also, with the right reinforcement and building design, newer CT and MR equipment can be placed on any floor (as opposed to only the ground floor).”
Whether it be a third-party or the manufacturer, an install (or deinstall) job can make or break a reputation. Tabbal with Canon stressed that planning and communication around the construction schedule are vital to a job going smoothly.
