After helping to establish GE Healthcare's first Brazilian factory in São Paulo several years ago, Joe Shrawder now finds himself fully immersed in the company's developing and emerging markets business.

At the start of 2013, Shrawder was named president and CEO of Latin America for GE Healthcare. He's currently in the process of relocating with his family to Brazil.

"It's a natural transition from a broader range of my background," Shrawder told DOTmed News. "Not only from the surgery business where I was really exposed to taking a product into many markets, but I've had a number of global roles before with GE so it's quite natural."

Shrawder spent the past two and half years in Salt Lake City, Utah where he led the GE Surgery (OEC) business. Before that, he was general manager for GE Healthcare's System Services. He has been with GE Healthcare since 2001, and the parent company for 25 years. Shrawder has a solid background in the refurbishing and remanufacturing business and pushed the OEC to be more active in that area. Citing one example, he said that OEC 9800 pre-owned C-arm unit sales have exploded in the past few years and have become more global than anticipated.

In his new role, Shrawder will be responsible for all GE Healthcare sales, distribution and leadership in Latin America — from Mexico down to Chile, the Caribbean and of course Brazil.

"We are active in business development and organic growth and looking for opportunities for new partners and new ventures," he said.

The time is right for many OEMs to amp up business in emerging markets like Latin America. Generally speaking, the health care market is expanding as GDP and incomes in these countries grow and government leaders seek to provide their citizens with quality health care. Consolidation in the private sector in Brazil is also creating a new demand from health facilities to purchase capital equipment or upgrade their systems.

"Ten to fifteen years ago what was once a broad collection of dozens of small and medium-sized clinics and imaging centers has seen a significant consolidation by what have become larger corporate entitles," said Shrawder.

These entities now have a lot more beef, so to speak.

Currently, Brazil holds the title of the largest market for medical equipment in South America. But Mexico could soon find itself in that space too. Shrawder said he sees a substantial increase in activity in the public health care sector in Mexico following last year's general election and the appointment of a new president of the republic.

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