Carestream Health launched

The Euro 1.71bn (USD 2.35 bn) deal to transfer Kodak Health Group to its new Canadian owners is complete and the new acquisition has been officially re-named Carestream Health Inc.

An announcement about the completion was made today (1 May) by the group’s new owners, Onex Corporation whose managing director, Robert M Le Blanc said: “Carestream Health will continue to focus on customers and employees as its top priority. We and the Carestream Health management team are already exploring initiatives to enhance its market leading products and services.”

The message from company representatives in the UK was very much ‘business as usual’. A spokesman said: “All UK customers have been written to and will have received communication from our customer service team.”

Kodak’s Health Group has a strong footprint in UK healthcare. It was chosen last year year to supply PACS/RIS for BUPA’s hospitals and also secured an NHS Scotland-wide deal for its PACS and information management solution in 2005.

Leadership of the new entity is unchanged with the president of Kodak Health Group, Kevin Hobert, named as chief executive officer of Carestream Health. He said: “We have a terrific opportunity for our global organisation to meet the growing imaging and information needs of our customers now and in the future.

“Onex has a long track record of acquiring businesses and working with them to achieve superior growth and operational excellence. Onex’s expertise and its commitment to this business, together with Carestream Health’s proven product portfolio worldwide presence and highly talented employee base will result in tremendous opportunities to provide the best in customer service.”

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