Diagnostics products manufacturing company Beckman Coulter, part of the Danaher Corporation, eyes a manufacturing presence in India, as part of its long-term market strategy, said Sridhar Natrajan, Managing Director, Southwest Asia, Beckman Coulter Diagnostic. The decision stems from factors like a rising lab count, a supportive regulatory environment, and more.
India’s in vitro diagnostics (IVD) industry is rapidly scaling every year, primarily driven by the growth in the number of labs and hospitals’ labs expanding their presence to Tier-2 and Tier-3 markets through their labs for their clinics—leading to an increase in testing volumes. In addition, post-Covid, wellness testing is also gaining traction.
According to the company, the growing lab count and hospitals expanding to Tier-2 and Tier-3 markets present growth opportunities in India. “As a market, India offers growth opportunities for us. In fact, the regulatory environment and the labs and hospitals voluntarily moving towards accreditation are good signs for us to stay invested in the Indian market,” said Natrajan.
“While we are seriously exploring manufacturing in India, we will start with some consumer goods. As of now, the discussions are ongoing with the global BU (Business Unit). So, once we have something official, we will be able to announce it,” Natrajan told businessline. Manufacturing in India also aims to serve global needs.
Moreover, India is a strategic country, and it plans most of its launches here. Over the years, it has introduced products beyond the regular health check parameters, including products addressing sepsis indicators, prenatal screening, and prostate health.
Product launches
In terms of new product launches, the MD said that Beckman Coulter Diagnostics has recently announced its collaboration with Fujirebio to develop neurodegenerative disease testing, which will also be launched in India in the next 24–36 months. “It’s not commercially available yet, and as soon as they are launched globally, we will bring it to India.”
The company operates as Beckman Coulter India Private Limited in the country and currently employs 300 people. In addition, the India Development Center, which is also a part of BCIPL and is in Benglauru serves as global R&D center for Beckman Coulter Diagnostics. With 800 people, it primarily focuses on hardware and software testing for global
Further, the company plans to focus on B2C and automation and intends to work more closely with healthcare providers that have direct interaction with patients.