Merry X-Ray Corporation has acquired Consensys Imaging Service Inc. in an agreement that expands its presence in CT, MR and other imaging modality markets.

The purchase provides the California-based company with enhanced selling and service capabilities for CT and MR, as well as mammography and ultrasound, building on additional assets recently obtained through the acquisition of Universal Medical Systems (UMS) in late September.

“It gives all of our customers a one-stop shop,” Ted Sloan, the president of Merry X-ray, told HCB News. “Now, whether you’re talking about the sale of a digital X-ray or the service of an MR, we have one place where we can offer our customers the service systems of basically one company.”
The deal provides Merry X-Ray with access to new imaging solutions for customers and cost-saving measures, such as Consensys’ scalable service model, which can absorb existing service needs, many of which are already outsourced back to the OEM. It also provides Merry with Consensys’ certifications granted by the International Organization for Standardization (ISO). These include ISO9001 and ISO13485.

Consensys customers also have access to new assets, including x-ray equipment distribution, sales of refurbished equipment, and certain product lines, and can expand existing contracts to include services offered by Merry X-ray.

Under the agreement, Consensys will continue to operate as a separate division with all employees remaining intact, and be able to grow its platform by adding more capital investments to its business.

The addition of both Consensys and UMS also provides Merry X-Ray with an expansion in the veterinary market due to Consensys holding strategic partnerships with veterinary clinics in addition to hospitals and imaging centers, and UMS being a supplier of veterinary MR and CT imaging. UMS also holds expertise in robotic CT systems and high-field MR.

Jim Spearman, the president and CEO of Consensys, says both acquisitions represent an emerging trend of mergers and acquisitions within the third-party service industry.

“I think that you’re are going to see that there will be more and more of this M&A activity that is going to occur simply because there has been stagnant growth in the market,” he told HCB News. “When you look at the big three manufacturers, GE, Siemens and Philips, I think it’s pretty clear they haven’t been growing rapidly because there’s been this uncertainly in the market . And I think in the third parties, you’re seeing that continue to trickle down, and now the industry is worried for digital consolidation.”

The financial details of the acquisitions were not disclosed.

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