Welch Allyn and ZOLL Medical Announce Strategic Alliance

An interesting news story hit the wires recently.  Welch Allyn Inc. and Zoll Medical Corp. announced a comprehensive strategic alliance with regard to research and development, manufacturing, sales and service, and distribution of Welch Allyn’s defibrillation and monitoring devices.  The two companies hope to capitalize on their complimentary strengths in the areas of operations and products by working together across multiple areas.

Welch Allyn, a leader in sales of equipment and products for physician office practices, will continue to focus on sales of their AED 10™ to alternate care markets.  Zoll will likely become the manufacturer and exclusive supplier of AED 10 products to Welch Allyn.  The AED 20™ and the PIC™ line of defibrillators will be discontinued.

Zoll has been named by Welch Allyn to be the exclusive distributor of the Propaq®LT monitor in North America.  The Propaq LT is a flexible, highly portable, lightweight monitor that displays multiple lead ECG, non-invasive blood pressure, SPO2 and respiration parameters.  It will be marketed along with the Zoll AED Pro® that features both semi-automatic and manual defibrillation modes, and also incorporates Zoll’s Real CPR Help® and See-Thru CPR®, which provides real-time feedback on CPR quality.

This alliance will allow Welch Allyn and Zoll to jointly pursue business opportunities with the military, air medical and emergency medical services customers.  Both companies maintain leading positions in those markets with their current monitoring and defibrillation products.  It is anticipated that Zoll will acquire Welch Allyn’s defibrillation research and development operations at a future date, and Zoll will eventually be the provider of customer support and technical service, and will supply aftermarket accessories to Welch Allyn defibrillator customers.