Toshiba is buying Barco advanced visualization business

Voxar 3D CardiaMetrix now to be sold by Toshiba. Image Source: Barco

Barco announced this morning it is selling its advanced visualization business to Toshiba Medical Systems of Tokyo, Japan, via its newly formed, wholly owned subsidiary, Toshiba Medical Visualization Systems Europe (TMVS), located in Edinburgh, Scotland. For Toshiba, the acquisition will build in-house critical core competencies—the development of 3D volume rendering and advanced visualization capabilities for all Toshiba modalities.

The two companies have partnered for 10 years, with Toshiba utilizing Voxar 3D visualization core software in its medical imaging products and PACS. Advanced Visualization (AVIS) was part of Barco’s medical imaging division through the acquisition of the Voxar in September 2004; Voxar began developing medical 3D visualization software products in 1991.

The divestment operation, which is subject to approvals from antitrust authorities, is expected to close within a few months. No financial terms were disclosed.

“This acquisition and the formation of TMVS allows for a critical multi-modality research and development center in Europe, an area of the world widely acknowledged for its innovations in medicine,” said Toshiba President and CEO Kenichi Komatsu, PhD.

"This team will help Toshiba maintain its position as a global medical imaging technology leader and to expand clinical applications research with physicians and medical imaging scientists," Komatsu said.

“The decision to divest our AVIS activities comes after a careful and deliberate evaluation of Barco’s business portfolio. It fits within the strategic focus of Barco’s medical imaging division, concentrating all resources on the development and marketing of innovative medical display systems for diagnostic, surgical and clinical imaging along with custom-built solutions for medical OEMs worldwide,” said Barco CEO Martin De Prycker.

Toshiaki Nakazato, chief specialist of the Research and Development Center at Toshiba Medical, will lead TMVS as president. Calum Cunningham, former marketing director of AVIS, will be named senior vice president and general manager.

The AVIS group is focused on 3D clinical software solutions, marketed globally under the product names Voxar 3D and Voxar 3D Enterprise. As part of the agreement, TMVS will become the new owner of all AVIS assets, including its full product portfolio. TMVS will help support the development of 3D volume rendering and advanced visualization capabilities for all Toshiba modalities.