O'Mahoney noted the important distinction between rebuilding and refurbishing since rebuilding is essentially stripping the unit down to the bare frame. "Our business deals solely with the AMX portables by rebuilding and extending the life of these workhorses that are unparalleled in the industry. We don't just refurbish a unit, we rebuild a unit and that is what sets us apart from our competitors."

A Complex Service Market


Here is one technology where the service story is more complex than the manufacturing story. In addition to GE, other OEMs, most notably Philips, also service the GE portables. It is not uncommon for an OEM to have multivendor contracts with hospitals so that they are servicing other makers' units. But, where do they get the other guy's parts? That's where an independent service organization (ISO) comes in. The ISOs not only sell parts that they inventory for old and new machines, many also refurbish, rebuild, and upgrade equipment for the hospitals, the OEMs themselves, or for other companies. Many ISOs offer warranties and even satisfaction guarantees.


Marc Todd, owner of Longevity LLC, with some
refurbished portable X-ray and C-arm equipment
in his Brooklyn, NY, warehouse.
(Click to enlarge)


Some ISOs specialize in different areas so that the biomedical engineering department can outsource specific service needs, or tap third parties as needed to get the parts required to do many repairs themselves.

Tim Davis, president, STAT Medical X-Ray Tubes, Inc., Summerville, S.C. is proud to say, "We don't buy portable X-rays. We don't refurbish portable X-rays. We don't sell portable X-rays but we do one thing that is absolutely essential - we have in stock at all times X-ray tubes for all the most common portables." Davis says STAT Medical's motto, "We Tube You," helps make his company memorable.

Remesta Medical Corp., serving a radius of approximately 300 miles around Knoxville, Tenn., prides themselves on their refurbished systems. "We do a complete tear down, inspect every part, replace cabling, H.V. cables, and batteries. We repair or replace any defective parts, re-assemble, test and calibrate," said Michael Baumgartner, President. "We provide personalized, individual service with any special needs addressed such as special equipment functions and also special sales/lease/rental agreements."

Mudi Ramesh, Director of Business Development, Huestis Medical, Taunton, Mass., notes that about 50 percent of the X-rays taken at a hospital are on portable units, so these units play a crucial role in a hospital's operations.

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