Olympus Acquires Distribution Biz in Chile

Olympus Latin America (OLA), a subsidiary of Olympus Corp., has closed the acquisition from Sur Medical SpA (Surmedical) of the entity that has distributed the company’s products in Chile since 2013.

Now, OLA will establish direct presence in the Chilean medtech market under the administration of new subsidiary Olympus Corporation Chile.

Chile-based medical equipment distributor Surmedical has been the company’s partner in the Chilean medtech market for over a decade and helped established the company as a leading market force in the gastrointestinal sector. Surmedical also helped the company secure a leading position for endotherapy products and created a reliable medical device repair service.

Olympus is assuming responsibility for distribution and business strategy for its full product portfolio in Chile with the goal of streamlining operations and enhancing customer service and support. The company hopes to accelerate introduction of its medical technologies and strengthen its position as a trusted partner in Chile’s healthcare system.

“This strategic acquisition of Surmedical’s well established and successful distribution business for Olympus technologies gives Olympus a very strong foundation for operations in Chile,” said Jose Gaston, president of Olympus Latin America. “We are very excited to welcome to Olympus Corporation Chile the talented and knowledgeable sales, marketing, service and training teams who have developed such a successful market for Olympus medical technologies in Chile. Our goal is to do even more for healthcare providers and their patients by creating direct access to the full Olympus portfolio and latest innovations.”

Patricio Fuenzalida, founder and owner of Surmedical, added, “We welcome Olympus to Chile. I will continue to work closely with Olympus and their new Chilean team to ensure a smooth transition and integration of operations. Our shared goal is to support business continuity for customers and the patients they serve.”

In November, NTT Corporation and Olympus jointly established a cloud endoscopy system using the IOWN APN technology and demonstrated that the APN technology can solve network issues in realizing the cloud endoscopy system.