Flex Focus Ultrasound System Receives Three Major Product Design Awards in 2010
PEABODY, Mass., Nov. 29, 2010 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- BK Medical, a wholly owned subsidiary of Analogic Corporation (Nasdaq:ALOG), announced today that it has been awarded the distinguished 2010 Good Design Award from the Japan Industrial Design Promotion Organization (JIDPO) for its Flex Focus™ ultrasound platform. In addition, BK Medical was awarded the iF Product Design Gold Award and the 2010 Red Dot Product Design Award for the Flex Focus system earlier this year. The Flex Focus family of ultrasound systems, including the new Flex Focus 700 and the Flex Focus 400, will be showcased at the 96th annual meeting of the Radiological Society of North America (RSNA), Nov. 28 – Dec. 2, 2010 (Booth #7128).
"We are truly honored to receive this distinguished design award from JIDPO, as it is clearly the prestigious worldwide trademark for outstanding design and quality," said Michael Brock, president of BK Medical. "The patented design of the Flex Focus system is compact with an intuitive user interface. Its large, high-resolution monitor offers clinicians an elegant, premium-performance diagnostic imaging system for medical procedures."
The Japanese Industrial Design Promotion Organization received over 3,100 applications from all over the world. The designs that were chosen were distinctive and encourage industrial development for a wide range of domains such as service and business development, urban environment planning, lifestyle adjustments, and the development of new social systems. The Good Design Awards were founded in 1957 and are commonly known today as the "G Mark System." BK Medical received the Good Design Award in the Social/Medical Equipment category.
In March 2010, BK Medical also received the iF Product Design Gold Award from the renowned European Design Institution, which issued the following quote regarding why the Flex Focus system was chosen as a Gold Award recipient in the category of Medicine/Health+Care: "This ultrasound device is extremely compact with a great interface layout. Basically, the entire device is nothing but a user interface, namely a control panel, which is a single piece covered with silicon, and a large, flat LCD screen, in portrait orientation to make the unit smaller. In the field of medical equipment, this product is simply brilliantly designed."
The Red Dot Award, which was awarded to BK Medical in April 2010 for the Flex Focus system, is given by Germany's Design Zentrum Nordrhein Westfalen—one of the largest and most renowned product design awards in the world. This year, an expert panel of jurors evaluated over 4,250 entries based on criteria that included degree of innovation, functionality, ergonomics, and durability. The competition drew submissions from more than 1,600 companies across 57 countries. The Red Dot award is recognized as a seal of quality marking outstanding international product design.
The patented, revolutionary design of the Flex Focus ultrasound system complements its excellent functionality. The mobility, size, and premium performance enable the Flex Focus family to more effectively meet clinicians' sophisticated and diverse ultrasound needs worldwide today and into the future.
About BK Medical
BK Medical is a wholly owned subsidiary of Analogic Corporation (Nasdaq:ALOG), specializing in the development and production of diagnostic ultrasound equipment. BK Medical is recognized as a global leader in the development of ultrasound systems designed for interventional radiology, surgery and the investigation of urological disorders. The products developed and marketed by BK Medical also include systems for other applications such as pelvic floor and anesthesiology. BK Medical has its European headquarters in Copenhagen, Denmark, and U.S. headquarters in Peabody, Massachusetts. BK Medical is represented in 60 countries with subsidiary sales companies in Belgium, Germany, Italy, the Nordic countries and the UK. An extensive network of distributors connects BK Medical with Eastern Europe, the Middle East, Asia, and the rest of the world. For more information visit www.bkmed.com.
About Analogic
Analogic (Nasdaq:ALOG), headquartered in Peabody, Mass., is a high-technology company that designs and manufactures advanced medical imaging, security systems and subsystems that are sold to original equipment manufacturers (OEMs) and end-users in the healthcare and homeland security markets. We are recognized worldwide for advancing state-of-the-art technology in the areas of computed tomography (CT), magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), digital radiography, ultrasound and automatic explosives detection for airport security. Our OEM customers incorporate our technology into systems that they in turn sell for various medical and security applications. We also sell our ultrasound products directly to clinical end-user markets through our direct worldwide sales force under the brand name BK Medical. For more information, visit www.analogic.com.
CONTACT:
Analogic Corporation
Lars Shaw, Vice President of Global Marketing
(408) 605-3901
lshaw@analogic.com