By Erin Register
Dan Siler, CEO of Althea, has been in the medical device industry for nearly 20 years. After graduating college, he started his career with GE Healthcare, where he serviced mammography, X-ray and CT systems. Siler then transitioned to a leading independent service organization (ISO) as an imaging service director.
“After supporting a startup division in Europe, I began to lead a parts refurbishment and replacement company that would later be acquired and moved to Charlotte, N.C.,” said Siler. “My team and I were able to successfully rebuild the organization from the facility to the team and processes. This experience really gave me a love for organization building and my passion for leadership. This is what excited me most when the opportunity arose to relocate back to Tennessee and grow Althea in the U.S. market.”
“Today, each modality leader has over 20 years in the HTM industry and a quality engineer that has spent his career building quality programs,” stated Siler. “It is the quality culture that allows us to build programs with a continuous improvement mindset.”
Q: What is the main focus of Althea?
A: The business model of Althea is an outstanding combination of integrated solutions, OEM independence and deep knowledge of health care providers. Specifically at Althea U.S., our main focus is two-fold: 1. Quality and 2. Our customers. As I always say, “Quality runs the show. If it doesn’t have quality, it isn’t worth doing.” Our customers are our livelihood. They truly are the reason why we are here, and they determine whether or not we are successful. Althea focuses on delivering programs that improve customer outcomes. We do this by offering quality parts delivered on time, performing system sales and installs and educating our customers on how to operate and service equipment. All of this allows for customers to control cost and increase uptime.
Q: What are some of the services Althea offers?
A: An Althea program consists of replacement parts, customer education, system sales and maintenance, and depot repair (when applicable). We continue to focus on the core programs of CT, MRI and X-ray while bringing on new solution programs like contrast injectors, low-temp sterilization and our upcoming UVD robots.
Q: How does Althea stand out in the medical equipment field?
A: Althea brings an established global presence to the market space, managing more than 1.4 million medical devices in over 2,700 health care facilities across 17 countries. This presence enables us to maximize skill sets and supply chains from around the world to improve our customer outcomes. Our U.S. team, from the top down, knows what it means to be in the shoes of a field service technician. This coupled with our competitive pricing will allow us to show customers they have made the best choice for their HTM partner.
Q: Do you have any specific goals that you want Althea to achieve in the near future?
A: I want us to be known as the industry’s full service solutions provider. In order to do that, we must maintain a good relationship with our customers and keep a pulse on their needs, as well as the industry’s needs. We are in the technology business, and technology is always changing, so we must do that too. We will continue to evolve and find efficiencies and solutions for our customers.
Even the most recent pandemic has challenged us to think outside the box and look at other areas that our industry could benefit from as we prepare for the future. We are planning to build and expand multiple new programs every year that will include diagnostic imaging, biomedical, UVC disinfection and sterilization, each offering a full-service approach that includes parts, education, sales and maintenance and repair.
For more information about Althea, visit www.althea-group.com.