DR Mobile 2014
Loyalty Tested

WORTH KNOWING

FUJI LEADS IN PEDIATRIC IMAGING

Fuji has made the most of being first to market with a smaller pediatric detector. They have lev­eraged the smaller detector with specific pediatric protocols to win providers over. Fuji is followed by Carestream and Shimadzu. Customers of all three vendors mentioned that they like the lower-dose protocols offered for pediatric patients.

SHIMADZU PUSHED FROM BOTH SIDES

Shimadzu has been the leader and innovator in mobile x-ray and has taken the top spot for four years. In recent years the gap between them and their competition has narrowed. Customers await the next innovations from Shimadzu, while niche vendors Carestream and Fuji are viewed as the innovators, and enterprise vendors have new products that meet the needs of their enterprise providers. Among Shimadzu customers, only 68% said Shimadzu would be their top choice if buying again tomorrow. However, these custom­ers do not regret the decision to buy Shimadzu: 100% of Shimadzu customers said they would buy Shimadzu again for their initial purchase.

FUJI AND CARESTREAM ARE TOP CHOICES

Fuji customers demonstrate loyalty unmatched by other vendors’ customers in the study. 94% of Fuji customers chose Fuji as their top choice if buying again. Despite a rough initial rollout, Fuji stood by customers and fixed issues. Though Carestream ties with Fuji as the top choice overall, among their current customer base they are not as strong—only 75% of Car­estream customers chose Carestream as their top choice.

GE HIT AND MISS

Providers reported that the small footprint of the GE unit is a win. Wi-Fi problems have plagued customers, but GE is working hard to fix those, with mixed results. Providers reported that when the machine is running, the image quality is good, and many praised the ease of mobility. Software glitches, while reduced, can still cause downtime or cause the machine to freeze on occasion. Highly considered option for GE enterprise customers.

BOTTOM LINE ON VENDORS

CANON

Major supplier of wireless detectors that consistently produce high-quality images. Relies on distributors to service and sell their machines, and customers sometimes have weak relationships with both Canon and their distributor. Some customers reported problems getting training scheduled and reported disor­ganized and inconsistent service; Southeast is Canon’s weakest area. Some small problems with plastic pieces that break and need to be replaced; also some battery issues. However, the Wi-Fi problems appear to be resolved.

CARESTREAM

Providers appreciate the innovations, telescoping head, great mobility, and detector for pediatrics. Batteries causing problems for a handful of customers—some feel the detector battery had to be replaced too soon. Service generally meeting needs. Carestream is the top choice of 20% of provid­ers overall (tied with Fuji for most in the study) because of improved workflow, intuitive user interface, and excellent image quality.

FUJIFILM

Leader in pediatric imaging. Fuji smoothing over some early bumps by building solid relationships with customers and making improvements to the system. Several custom­ers reported they are still working through issues, including connectivity to the detector, but would buy from Fuji again. Fuji is win­ning loyalty: Customers of the FDR Go would expand with Fuji for other x-ray needs.

GE HEALTHCARE

Number of providers reporting problems lessened; GE is digging themselves out of the hole they got them­selves into at the start. Some GE customers who reported software bugs feel GE wouldn’t acknowledge or fix problems without pointing fin­gers first. Still working to get fixes, such as Wi-Fi improvement, out to the full install base. GE top choice of 8% of providers overall, and of those using GE, 27% would not buy again. Customers waiting for small detector.

PHILIPS

Great service that lives up to service contract. Many customers mentioned good im­age quality. Still working through bugs and some hardware problems with arms and wheels. Some customers reported the unit freezes when boot­ing up. Philips late to the game with smaller de­tector; some are frustrated with the wait. Maybe a win for those with existing Philips relationship.

SHIMADZU

Clear leader in overall satisfac­tion. Providers want to see more of the innova­tion that brought them to Shimadzu in the first place. Service and sales largely through third parties, and communication is seamless and exceeds expectations. Pediatric imaging meets needs with small detector option. Batteries are inconsistent: some reported batteries had to be replaced less than a year after initial purchase. Strong performance in hospitals over 500 beds.

PRELIMINARY DATA VENDOR

SIEMENS

Selling for 1.5 years; slow adoption into market. Mira has small physical footprint. Siemens has worked through Wi-Fi challenges. Of the small number of users we were able to speak with, some discussed Wi-Fi challenges, but no other common challenges shared be­tween them. Received approval for small detec­tor, MAX mini, earlier this year.

Project Manager
Robert Ellis