Just keep repeating these two things:
Slow!Slow!Slow!
Very low market share.Very low market share.
Customers have voted with their pocketbooks.
Roche keeps coming up short.

Oh that's right, I forgot Siemens has to have field techs that maintain just one account each because the analyzers are unreliable and go down so often that if they had more than one account to fix nothing would stay up and running.

The service rep came, fixed the Centaur, and it was up and ready to run more while the 6000 was still trying to finish the original run.

So how goes the Operational Excellence ?

Hey, you know, you're right. It was 50% slower, but considering the Versacell had 75% greater throughput what's so impressive? Shouldn't it have been 75% faster? Seems like it fell short.

Since you'll bring it up, the Versa went against two cobas 6000 CE and was still "faster", but the menu was what, 38% IA? What hospital in the US does anything like that? 9-15% IA is more like it in the US and based on the given menu roche would have recommended a set-up more like CE and CEE, not CE CE. Also, since the CE and CE have the same menu it would allow the hospital to have a back-up if needed. What would the hospital do when their Centaur was down?

They were both given the same tests to run. There were two runs of immuno and chemistry tests, typically run in any lab. The 6000s came up woefully short.
The Centaur will run a Troponin once presented in 17.5 minutes. The Vista will do it in 10 minutes. As the 6000s do not present the specimen immediately, especially if there is a line of tests in front of it, I'd say you don't win this one either.
Slow, slow slow. Get over it! It's no secret!

Additional economic facts under SS "leadership" based upon USD (not CHF)drawn from Roche Group Annual Reports: Roche Group Market Cap end of 2007 ~$154B (pre-SS leadership, 2009 SS invests ~$47B to purchase Genetech. Market value investment during SS tenure: $201B, Market Cap end of 2010 $131B. Implied current market cap given recent stock price decline ~$121B. A compounded value destruction of ~16% per year.

Why not be factual and say that 5+ years of bad hiring and personnel practices loaded Roche with many has beens or never wases.

Lol, 50% slower when comparing two completely unrelated labs, running unrelated menus. If I came into the hospital and needed a cardiac ran, how long would it take with a centaur or a Vista? Longer than a cobas. That is apples-to-apples. Taking labs with comparable menus, analyzers with comparable throughput, automation and tech expertise and then running a set menu would make the data worthwhile, otherwise the data means nothing other than, "Hey, look at this lab and it was faster with these analyzers than this lab with these analyzers that have unrelated menus." It is an example for only this particular situation. I'm not saying the data isn't accurate, but it doesn't tell people anything concrete.

Apples to apples is correct. The 6000 is instruments bolted together. Let's argue the facts. SLOW is SLOW. Admit it and try selling features and benefits, if there are any.This was never a Siemens sales pitch. Just me stating the facts and you not responding to them. 50% SLOWER!

Post mortum meeting with employees in Branchburg - HR asked if mgmt if there will be layoffs - obvious plant in audience to raise the possibility to employees that downsizing is coming. Stated cost of Quality Mgmt is too high. There will be many more to follow than those 4.

major stretch*

Apples to Apples? Hardly. You obviously have no experience with statistics or labs. What it showed me is that neither of the siemens analyzers are worth a darn and you need another robot to run them for you to be efficient, because the interfaces, results, and TATs are different. I hope this isn't going to be a Siemens sales pitch, because it is a major switch. I knew Siemens was hurting, but I didn't think it was this bad.

puts a new twist on "Lifecycle"

Why wouldn't Roche fund the same type of report?
Because they know how it would turn out, the same reason Simens did fund it. Apples to apples, same tests v same tests, Roche proved to be very slow. Better than 50% slower. Those are the facts.
Are you saying Dark and Nexus are biased?
They have their reputation on the line.
As you probably know, both are very well thought of in this business.Why would they gamble that in a study where one system is so obviously slower than the other.

I read the Dark Daily report comparing the Versacell to a c6000. A few things that make the whole report irrelevant. It was funded by Siemens, the two labs that were compared to each other have NOTHING in common. Siemens used a reference lab that also serves as one of their reference sites while the roche site was a small european hospital that has nothing in common with the siemens location.

It's a pretty pathetic attempt to be honest. It is like taking two race cars, putting a professional driver behind one and a kid who just got a drivers license behind the other.

If you want something to make a difference and support an accusation then it would probably be a good idea to compare apples to apples. I hope I read it slow enough for you.

In most venues this is euphemism for being put out to pasture. Eli Lilly does a lot of "early retirement" too, mostly to get rid of the deadwood, psych cases and old alkies.

Roche offered me an early retirement and I am set for life. I go to bed when I want to, wake up when I am rested, and travel the world wherever I want to go. I am now 57. Thanks Roche!

Operational Excellence: Remap employees to a lower skill, lower paying job in order to foster unhappiness and facilitate the departure of said employees. Essentially, Roche is aiming to squeeze employees out without having to actually layoff or fire said employees. In this way, Roche can keep their layoff numbers low and avoid paying severence.

The same Bozos are comning up with even more painful schemes to try to turn the boat in the right direction (or just save their own asses)

If investors have no confidence in these leaders, why should employees?

Try leaders fit for the job

you cannot make excuses for SS regarding the poor performance of Roche stock. Sure things are tough and competitive in healthcare globally. However when you compare Roche's stock performance the last few years vs. Roche's peer group members like Pfizer, Novartis and a long list of others, Roche is at the bottom of the list. This guy (SS) does not have a clue and Roche needs to recapture the motivation of it's people by showing this guy the door.

http://www.layoffwatch.com/

Take a look at these 5000+ layoffs. Its tough out there so be thankful you have a job but more importantly try to make things better in your immediate area. We are all suffering in some way and reading these depressing blurbs on SS or anyone for that matter has no merit when you yourself are clueless. Your at best a cubicle worker, first line mgr, area director, etc. What in the world do you know about CEO, COO CFO positions, zip, zero, nada, nothing. Sure you can read financial reports and see the stock is up or down. It's the behind the scenes that make you clueless. Stock will go down again this year, has nothing to due with SS at the helm. It's the world crisis we are all in. Everyone is feeling it but you i guess. Get a life.

http://uk.reuters.com/article/2011/03/16/uk-novartis-britain-idUKTRE72F6...

Cannot cut the mustard in US or Europa anymore to support SS & Co. at the top of the pyramid. Must go after Asia! Lot of people there!
"we innovate healthcare".

Meanwhile the circular firing squads continue

March 1 -2008 SS takes the reigns and stock price at ~225.00 CHF. March 15, 2011 stock price ~125.00 CHF. Long term view, understood. Is consistent value destruction over a 3 year period acceptable? How long does the Roche board allow SS to destroy value-is long term 4 years and Roche stock at 100 CHF?

You fail to understand the europeans are going thru a financial crisis now just like what we had for 2 yrs in America. Most euro hospitals, vendors, etc are not paying bills which means not buying any additional product.

Cut, cut ,cut. no money period. It's actually a world wide spending cut. We as Americans don't do that but other country actually control spending much better. Hang tight, ride the roll a coaster up and downs, turn around in a 1.5 yrs. Lots of stuff in the Roche pipeline but thats 3 yrs out.

Leadership controls day to day operation, future growth but when you are talking of large companies like Roche, Lilly, Glaxcosmithkline, J&J, etc, The stock market analysis actually have the most power in revenue. Its a known fact that analysis are much harder on Roche than any other company due to Roche standards, long term and NOT immediate financial success. The key is LONG TERM.

The investment community is clearly understanding SS inability to lead. With almost a 27% decline in value this past 12 months, and 3 new 52 week lows in the past 14 days, it seems clear that Roche is in huge need of new senior leadership who can actually create, not destroy, value.

That's not really true.
You must be a liberal based on your twisting of the truth.
JP was never a sales rep at Ventana.
He was an RSM with Bayer when he was hired as a Sales Director by CG.
Jack is the least of Roche's problems.
Why not be factual and say that 5+ years of bad hiring and personnel practices loaded Roche with many has beens or never wases.

Jack Van Kampen, Denny Ware, Marting Maddous, and even Andre' De bruin were my favorites.

For someone to take the RDC CEO job requires:
* no "bagage" or history with the main Roche organization.
* willingness to take a big risk, since your chances are less than 1 in 4 of lasting 18 months.
* you would have to be so inexperienced that you accept and do everything the Swiss tell you to do.
* you are not an industry "captain", which is what RDC needs, but industry captains do not want to jump on a sinking ship where all the orders are coming from Basel.

Is it a coincidence that each succesive CEO/President has less to offer that his/her predecessor?

How about those bonuses and profit sharing?

JACK PHILLIPS FROM VENTANA SALES PERSON TO ROCHE DIAGNOSTICS CEO ALL IN 8 YEARS..

That is your problem.

In a recently released white paper by Nexus Global Solutions featured in the Dark Daily Report it compared one Siemens Advia 1800 tied to one Centaur XP via a versacell against one Roche 6000 and two Roche 6000s. The Siemens pair blew away the one 6000 and also beat TWO 6000s in a speed comparison.
Talk all you will about 50 wells, this is proof positive in a straight up speed comparison.
If you did not understand, read this and the report a little more slowly.

Give everyone an extra week of vacation in '11 to make them feel good. Then back a much larger amount out of their paychecks another way later. FU business model, the swiss way

The Roche global cost reduction process will strike many. Prepare for the worst, ignore at your own and your family's peril

Any news on colleagues in Japan?

Bloodbath at RMS Branchburg Wednesday. Stephanie N, Myles K, Stuart P, and Peter L gone.

What gives?

A very good take on the CC/IA market. Volumes give discounts vs time to results. Look at South Bend.

A twofer! SS continues to drive value into the ground. Another new 52 week low under his stellar leadership. Nice going SS!

Slow? You have a weird perception of speed. CC is not in an acute world and cobas is beyond competitive and then when it comes to IA, 9 Min STAT, 18 min for almost the rest of the assay, and 27 for things like Folate (Which takes upwards of 73 minutes on other analyzers)

So the real question should be, what is my average time till my first result? If I have 50 wells to perform assays, that just means that I can have more assay running at one time and therefore in an hour. It doesn't make the assay get performed any faster. I hope that isn't your sales pitch.

And in-regards to growth, Roche grew above market in the world of CC/IA and you obviously have no concept of how long it takes to create a contract for $1M+ in equipment with a hospital. With the "beckman issues" some accounts were closed in a few months, but for most that is completely unrealistic. Also contracts are typically for 5 years and buying them out early costs a fortune. It isn't a difficult thing to understand, or at least it shouldn't be.

they were gaining share under AT... stupid germans...

They've got one of the slowest (6000) chem/immuno analyzers around,and can't seem to get any market share. With the beckman troubles one would think they could grab some of that market share but it doesn't seem to matter. They have a good core (15% chem,9%immuno) of customers but the numbers haven't grown at all.
Something is going on as all the other customers are staying away.

Problem is the stock will continue to drop and the options will be
"under water" like those issued the last 2-3 years.

look on the bright side, its good to acheive a 52 week low just as new options are issued

Severin: Congrats! You have achieved a new 52 week low for the Roche Group Stock! Seems to me shareholder value is your metric. What value do you bring Severin?

Maybe in Russia. Completely moot in the US.

I heard it through the grapevine that Stago is about to end the contract with Roche by 2015, leaving Roche without real coagulation-business

Lemmings!

Look at the bright side...
At least you will get a cool ear/eye piece.

We are the BORG! Must assimilate, Must assimilate!