Philips to Acquire Emergency-Response Firm

The deal is the biggest move yet by Philips to expand its consumer-health business. This latest purchase follows last year's acquisition of health-care technology company Stentor for $280 million.

Gerard Kleisterlee, chief executive of Philips Electronics (Amsterdam, Holland), sees higher-margin medical technology and health care as a key area for expansion, helping to make the Dutch company less dependent on volatile businesses such as semiconductors. The consumer-health division seeks to adapt technologies from the medical world and make them consumer friendly. One example is the company's home version of a defibrillator.



Related Links:
Philips Medical Systems
Lifeline Systems