Originally Published MDDI March 2002
BUSINESS CLIMATE FORECAST
A United Europe Offers New Opportunities
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The European Union, like the United States, is home to an aging population, and its adoption of the euro as its only currency early this year offers some advantages to medical device manufacturers, says R. Ernest Waaser, president and CEO of Hill-Rom Company, Inc. (Batesville, IN).
"Gradually, over the past few years, barriers to doing business with other countries have fallen away," Waaser notes. "While the euro was available for electronic exchanges of funds during 2001, the complete conversion will make it easier for companies like ours to do business across Europe more efficiently."
Waaser says Hill-Rom is shifting its European organization from its formerly country-specific focus to a regional focus based primarily on shared languages. "We'll now have north, south, and western European offices that will share billing and collections, technical support, sales management, and marketing. Ultimately, we'd like to get to a pan-European office, but that will take a while because of the cultural and language differences."
Copyright ©2002 Medical Device & Diagnostic Industry
