We continue to celebrate steady growth in the sales of our TM-2655 fully automatic BP monitor and achieved record sales last year. We are very pleased to note that this has come about as a result of a strategic decision we made several years ago. When we launched the so-called arm unit outside of Japan back in the early 1990’s, we had great difficulties in convincing our agents and subsidiaries to promote it. We were told that it was simply too expensive or that it would not be durable enough for gyms and pharmacies. Therefore, we remained quite low-key as regards sales of this model outside Japan even though we were observing strong sales domestically.

However, the arm unit is now commonly used in hospitals throughout Japan. An outpatient making their first visit to a hospital is instructed by a nurse to take their own blood pressure measurement using the arm unit, which is installed in the waiting room or hallway of the hospital. While waiting the patient takes their own BP measurement and brings the printout with his/her blood pressure readings when called on to see the doctor. The doctor then studies the readings and begins the necessary check-up skipping blood pressure measurement unless he/she sees something irregular. This has become common practice throughout hospitals in Japan.

We have had a number of requests for coin-operated units or units to be installed at non-medical locations, for example, outside a store. However having observed the rapid escalation in sales and popularity of this unit in hospitals in Japan, we have made a strategic decision to market this product for clinical use, to be used in conjunction with diagnostic procedures.

Though initially slow, a steady growth of TM-2655 sales emerged in some countries. First orders came from countries in Asia such as Taiwan, Korea, India and China. Then our most promising success developed from activities at our subsidiary in the UK. They have consistently displayed the unit at every show they attended and even though it took some time before the first unit was introduced into a clinic, it has clearly demonstrated how it can dramatically improve diagnostic procedures. “Doctors’ offices in the UK are stocked with very little equipment but the TM-2655 has been put on the list of the equipment they want to purchase as soon as they receive the budget for it,” says Mike Telford, our Medical Unit Business Manager at A&D Instruments. Mike regularly offers us interesting anecdotes from UK customers and passed me a comment from a GP in Guilford Dr. Colin Lewis who has a great interest in cardiology, “This machine is the Rolls Royce of automated blood pressure monitors. Initially I thought it was a bit of a gimmick and that it was no match for my mercury sphygmomanometer. Soon after set up, I was proved wrong.” Mike also passed on a comment from a GP in Northern Ireland who said that the TM-2655 was the best piece of diagnostic equipment his practice had ever purchased. Another GP from Market Drayton in Shropshire who was an early consumer insisted that after three years A&D supply a loan unit whilst his unit was returned to A&D for recalibration. He commented, “Do you know how much it would cost me to get the nurses to take all the BP readings now?” This led A&D Instruments to create a loan arrangement as standard in their Service Department.

He created the Virgin Healthcare Foundation in 1987 as a natural extension of his philosophy of doing everything to make life better and more fun. Virgin’s innovative thinking has led to the creation of HealthZone, which are health kiosks equipped with various vital sensing equipment. These HealthZone kiosks will be installed at gyms and corporations cooperating with the Virgin Life Care program and insurance companies that work with Virgin Life Care. The TM-2655 has been chosen as the blood pressure monitor to be used in the HealthZone kiosks due to its compact design, quality and reliability.

Richard Branson and HealthZone with TM-2655

Teaming up with a US insurance provider, they offer Virgin Life Care which provides low premiums and frequent flyer-like rewards to members. Members can collect points when they go to the kiosks, and record gym workout or jogging results to earn rewards. “You get rewarded when you do good things to your health.” says Virgin Life Care. (http://www.virginlifecare.com/) It works in the same way as an airline mileage card; customers can collect points to earn rewards, while at the same time getting and staying healthy. Virgin’s idea is to create a new business model that encourages people to stay healthy with the help of incentives, while at the same time providing better financial performance to an insurance company or a corporation as a result of having more healthy insurance subscribers in their customer profile or employees in their workforce.

I have a lot of confidence in this program but it has yet to be seen if it will be a success or not. Having more people exercising is much better than having more wheelchairs or beds in nursing or elderly homes and it is of course more economical. This incentive reward program works on the premise that if people are financially motivated, then they will try their best to succeed. The program is designed to sustain itself with the end result being that more healthy people and/or employees are beneficial to society overall.

We are very proud to be a frontrunner in virgin territories with our TM-2655 and to now be a part of the innovative Virgin healthcare business.


Incidentally, while writing this editorial I came across an interesting article entitled “Virgin Life Care HealthZone Kiosk wins awards,” please take a look at it at the following URL: http://www.marketwire.com/mw/release_html_b1?release_id=125565

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