http://thechart.blogs.cnn.com/2012/05/21/task-force-psa-tests-do-more-ha...

I wonder how much this will affect Siemens' business.

well theres been no evidence to support layoffs, but im sure dx will sell of the diag. side and buy a bunch of goat farms. then, theyll purchase low cost store fronts and beginning selling gyros. this will be a great usiness strategy, and of course danaher and roche will follow suit. abott will start an gyro store but it will be organic or some crap and will take 3 times as long to get an gyro. danaher will pull its gyros off the market after a few months. siemens and roche will keep selling gyros and people will come to the gyro rumor mill to talk about how every gyro company is the worst even though they have nothing to backit up.
someone should make a good cucumber sauce...thats where the money is.

It is hard to believe that anyone would be interested in Siemens until the new system is either close to completion or, more likely, in the field, operating smoothly, sales increasing, etc. It's just much too risky for a potential buyer otherwise. Siemens made many miscalculations and far too many over-optimistic plans before they bought DX and they didn't really know how to manage it all. The shouldn't assume that anyone big enough to come up with what they'd want for DX is likely to repeat that mistake.

most people come here for fun. you've been too serious.

here's my take: Nikon Corporation recently added an amendment to their Articles of Incorporation to "Manufacture and sale of pharmaceuticals, quasi-pharmaceutical products and cosmetics".

Siemens healthcare may become creative too and start R&D on lenses, since they're already in "imaging" business, meanwhile unload DX.

wow, if youre reading this thread just be warned the truth is very thin. im real curious as to where this stuff starts. rumor mill is a great name, as most everything posted here is either spun, incorrect or just overblown. i dont even know where to start...whatever, the statements here are comical, take them with a grain of salt.

"again it is not vit D, what is with you assholes?"

I will ignore your junior high school language and you a simple question:

If it's not vit D, then what is it? Please tell us, oh obscene guru, and teach us so we can all be enlightened.

"It's just a 483." I hope all this doesn't come down to a simple 483. Won't you feel foolish if all this noise is over a 483?

it is a 483 for Walpole

again it is not vit D, what is with you assholes?

DS of Flanders and now is CEO of POC is worse than DS of Tarrytown. Fraud Fraud and Fraud > he is the one who Fu..ed Flanders .. all his deadwood peope are managers and VP there .. still milking the cow

"now it is Monday, FDA warning letter for Walpole"

Another Monday Armageddon? The first one that started this thread never happened. What will this Monday bring? An FDA slap on the wrist? An FDA 'warning' telling Siemens to do better? Sanctions? Penalties? Plant shutdown? OMG, the possibilities seem endless. Will Siemens get hurt at all by an error in making a diluent and almost immediately notifying customers on how to work around the problem? Unless there is alot more to this than has been reported, I seriously doubt it.

This isn't as serious as the Mayan calendar prediction of the end of the world this December 21 (Armageddon Friday). The Mayans must have been right. We certainly can't have another New Year's Eve without Dick Clark.

now it is Monday, FDA warning letter for Walpole

Tues, as in 5/22?

Apparently, there are at least two DS persons. The one most referenced here worked in Tarrytown for at least 30 years (starting in the late 1970s). His title was systems engineer. During the 80s, he was discipline head for engineering and was a protege, so to speak, of HD, who was, at the time, head of R&D for Technicon. If it helps to identify him, DS is a Croatian immigrant (just a fact, not a commentary). He also was project manager for the RA-2000 (the least successful of the entire RA product line), project head for Genesys (the latest intended upgrade of the Centaur line), which, as I understand it, was cancelled at or near the end of the project since it was not deemed to be worthy of commercialization. He was also systems engineer for the failed Advia IMS, a failure to which he contributed greatly.

If you worked in Tarrytown for any time over the past 30 years or so and had any familiarity with R&D, you should know who he is. If you did not work in Tarrytown, just read through this thread and you will find out what kind of person he is. Virtually all if the posts about DS are negative. Since the termination of Genesys, he has been out on "sick leave" for most of the time.

The only other information I could give is his full name, which seems to be counter to the general practices at this site.

Who the heck is DS?

How do you conclude that I said it was ALL about DPC? I was simply SPECULATING that the chicken little, sky is falling mentality behind some of the posts MIGHT come from EITHER a competitor or A (as in one) single disgruntled ex-DPC person. Surely, you will admit that this site has been filled with one 'disgrunt' after another from DPC people who, rightly OR wrongly, have seen their old world collapse.

My actual point was that, given the data and facts presented so far, this is probably much ado about nothing. Why are you so sensitive? I wasn't attacking DPC itself and have posted many things here condemning Siemens inability to manage their DX business. How many years has it been now for Siemens? Things are still going downhill or, at best, in a steady state. Not a single new system has come from Siemens since their acquisitions as far as I see (upgrades don't count). Immulite was killed to be replaced by Centaur which has yet to pay dividends for Siemens. Advia IMS was killed because mercy killing is acceptable for totally flawed systems. Genesys met the same fate. Vista still seems to be on life support. The 2012 system that was mentioned here several years ago was an obvious fantasy. We keep hearing about the next 'new system' but with very sketchy details. You don't need to pick me to run Siemens instead of MR; Alice and the dormouse would do a better job.

Chill out a bit. Try a decaffeinated latte for a change. Take a few minutes out from your busy, busy day to read up on things like humor, sarcasm, and cynacism.

Charles L. Dodgson, Mathematician

(You can google the name if you don't know it, or just ask Alice ... I think she'll know).

When Vitamin D first came out, it's the success of TTN and DX. When it now runs into problem, all of sudden it's all about DPC. You should replace MR as DX CEO, since you're a better tool than him.

"not vit D, it is a big deal ,stay tuned"

Before you start running around like a chicken without its head, can we get some perspective here. What percent of total reagent sales on Centaur does Vitamin D represent. Before anyone sould consider this to be a 'big deal', the should add up all the sales of every assay on Centaur including the tumor markers, infectious diseases including HIV and Hepatitis, hormones, etc. and then ask what happens to this total in the worst case scenario (e.g., if the vitamin D assay itself must be pulled off the market). Having real profit numbers rather than just sales figures would be even better. I have no clue as what those numbers are, but I do know what data to look at before I declare a crisis. I suspect, and the numbers will either prove or disprove my suspiscions, that the small clique of DPC/Siemens vitamin D 'freaks' might be getting a bit over-excited here.

On the ther hand, if the problems with the vitamin D diluent (for which there has already been a customer quarantine and a 'work-around') extends to beyond the diluent or the assay itself and is a problem for the entire manufacturing facility (e.g., other assays are also affected and production of those would have to cease, at least temporarily), then this could be big news.

So far, the data presented here and the reaction from at least one poster, looks a bit like a case of Chicken Little. Could be someone with an agenda like a competitor or a sore Siemens or ex-Siemens DPCer who wants to keep jabbing at Siemens as being incapable of doing what the gods-of-LA were able to do. The facts are that both of those latter types have been posting here for years so it would be no surprise if this is an over-reaction motivated by sabotage.

Let's try to calm down here and just wait to see if additional facts on this issue emerge. Remember all the hype about Armageddon that hasn't really taken place yet? If you really want to get into exotic hype, then none of this matters since the extremists tell us that the Mayan calendar says everything will all be over on December 21, 2012. If you believe that, I have a bridge or two to sell you in the interim.

right, will be announced on Tuesday

not vit D, it is a big deal ,stay tuned

Although somewhat uncommon, from time to time a bad lot of reagents gets through the process. It happens to everyone in the DX business. The notice sounds like under 500 units of Vitamin D diluent are involved and it looks like Siemens has taken all of the appropriate steps to remedy the error and notify customers including an alternate procedure to use in the interim. This doesn't sound like a big deal. There will probably be an investigation and conclusions report with recommendations to avoid repeats of this incident. But it certainly doesn't sound fatal to Siemens' vitamin D business.

Any more information on the Armageddon in January rumor? From what I've seen here there should be more layoffs this (fiscal) year.

Is this what you're talking about?

http://www.accessdata.fda.gov/scripts/cdrh/cfdocs/cfRes/res.cfm?ID=107628

Or is it something different or something more.

IPTH started the FDA looking you will find out Tuesday

Yahoo is way behind the times. There have been many posts here about how Siemens failed during the due diligence phase of the acquisition (what you refer to as 'vetting'). Not only did they fail to understand the employees they were about to 'buy' and the senior and middle management of the three companies, but they were completely fooled by the reality of the product lines, in particular the Bayer Advia IMS (I'm-a-mess) and Dade Vista. From the Siemens standpoint, both systems were just about completed and ready for a successful launch. The IMS was 'killed' in less than a year and Siemens is still struggling with Vista after many years. Siemens did not understand that the people who had created the original Centaur and its predecessor (the Ciba-Corning ACS 180) were not retained by Bayer after they purchased Centaur from Chiron and Bayer assumed that the same team that was working on the IMS system could easily handle any upgrades to Centaur. Bayer had purchased the DX business from Chiron with the intent to keep Centaur and the manufacturing facility in Walpole. The plan was to move Centaur R&D to Tarrytown with just a few people being retained from Chiron and to move manufacturing of many products to Walpole from Middletown, VA (the manufacturing site that Bayer ultimately sold to Fisher). [Getting complicated?].

As strange as this might sound, the best due diligence that Siemens did was with respect to DPC. They pretty much got what they paid for with DPC and have been able to follow their original business plan for DPC which was to stop all further development of Immulite, transfer certain Immulite assays to Centaur, keep Immulite running in the field as a cash cow, eventually convert all or most Immulite users to Centaur, and shut LA down. Despite the disbelief of many, this was the Siemens plan from the start for DPC and there is little point in rehashing the issue as whether this was a good or bad plan. The reality is that it was and is the plan for LA and the only variance from that plan has been the timeline. It has taken Siemens far longer than they could have possibly expected to carry out the plan due to a combination of incompetence and obstructionism on the part of many different parts of the Siemens organization. Rational plan, but with terrible execution.

Siemens didn't get it during the due diligence phase and, to a large extent, it appears that they still don't get it ... 'it' being the diagnostics business which is unlike virtually every other business in which Siemens is engaged. Despite all the cheerleading pep talks and rah-rah 'we are going to win eventually', there is little evidence that Siemens has recognized their basic incompatibility with the diagnostics business. The best news for Siemens is that the other large, multi-business competitors such as Roche and Danaher and, to some extent Abbbott, have been having similar issues. None of the large players are running smoothly and firing on all cylinders right now.

The recent Yahoo story makes me wonder if DX went through the vetting process on its VPs and above when it took over from Bayer and Dade (DPC really not much left).

I'd suggest they do it now and the finding will tell us who should not have his or her job from the very beginning and who knew the lies but decided to cover it up. Then we may be able to solve part of the in-comepetency problem at DX.

Is this what you're talking about?

http://www.accessdata.fda.gov/scripts/cdrh/cfdocs/cfRes/res.cfm?ID=107628

Or is it something different or something more.

Someone seems to be very interested in some FDA thing with Walpole. Very persistant. Quite curious.

how about this FDA mess caused by Walpole incompetence?

it was discussed at a ttn town hall by MR and D Hickey last week, supposed to be a big deal

DS wasn't the only weak link in Tarrytown. There was BB who jumped ship and headed west shortly after Dade, um Siemens, acquired Bayer DX. BB seamed unfocused, almost scatter-brained.

What was this guy, a J. Edgar Hoover?! What did he have on his management such that he remained in power so long?! Doesn't this make you thankful that human beings are NOT immortal?!

Some people are getting too much personal with DS. You should just come out of closet.

That's strange. If nothing else, DS expected everyone to kowtow, suck up, and bend down and kiss his feet. If you are talking about technical matters, that's a different thing and you are correct. Aside from talking 'engineering' language, it was pretty obvious to anyone in Tarrytown who knew DS that he had no skills. Never invented a thing; never tried to improve products (why spend the extra money when we can use pre-existing parts [even when they don't do the job as well as more modern devices]), etc. I would love to see even one engineer from Tarrytown who can honestly say that DS helped them technically in the job, gave them sound technical advice, or anything else along those lines.

Backstabbers don't need to be technically competant; they just need sharp knives.

DS never demonstrated to me that he knew who was supposed to do what.

Is Roy B the VP of Flanders or he just a puppett of DS .

"Funny, everywhere I have worked there was always one guy that could be described this way. The ones I knew were probably worse than this guy DS; seriously."

Yes, they are everywhere. But few have been more responsible for helping to destroy an excelllent company that, at the time when he joined, held over 70% of the market. People in labs and hospitals didn't know the name Technicon, but they sure knew what an SMA or SMAC profile was. He had an unique talent for going after the creative people, the talented people, and those who got things done. And unlike many of his type who are in marketing or 'business' functions who change jobs every few years. DS was in R&D and was there for 30-plus years. That's a long time to gain power and influence. And a long time for accomplishing nothing that benefitted the company in the way of new products. Not many achieve that level of power (terror).

What's the story on the FDA recall for Vista B12/Folate? I heard that this goes back to results reported over several years.

".....appropriate words to describe him would result in the post being flagged......"

Funny, everywhere I have worked there was always one guy that could be described this way. The ones I knew were probably worse than this guy DS; seriously.

"Lets go back to talking about DS in Tarrytown NY. Now wasn't he a nice Director of Engineering."

No he wasn't. The appropriate words to describe him would result in the post being flagged and then eliminated. He was a mean, backstabbing person who had not a single positive thing to put on his resume from things that he did at Technicon/Bayer. Every project with which he was significantly associated was a failure. Every person who even looked at him cross-eyed was attacked mercilessly behind their backs. If you wish to really know the right words, I can refer you to the comedy sketch by George Carlin called 'the seven dirty words you can't say on TV'.

Lets go back to talking about DS in Tarrytown NY. Now wasn't he a nice Director of Engineering.

I was off today so I thought I'd check with Biofind and what do I see? A bunch of children arguing non issues that the rest of us do not care about. If you have some pertinent inside info or rumor about Siemens DX lets hear your post, but for you two kids, get a life.

This is getting ridiculous. You should realize nobody cares what you do or where you work. It's not The Price Is Right.

Try not to offend anybody here, but while we're venting, whining, or bittering each other here, Ziering's or JRA may be busy vacationing in Bahamas and don't even bother to get on the internet. Maybe that's the life we all need to pursue.

Now it's your turn. "We all know, etc" that I work in LA. Who is 'We'? You/we are just making an assumption and as the man in the movie said: Assumption is the mother of all f***ups. Assume what you want; I could care less. As for the 'mommy' thing, I'm a spare the rod and spoil the child person ... you don't need a lecture, you need a good spanking !! (j/k). Enjoy figuring out your future by yourself.

.......What more do you want?

You are really too much. Its the assumptive tone of yours that really is irritating, and it is so obvious that you are far too involved w/ LA DX to not work there so just cut the BS..........we all know that you are there so just post as an LA site worker and cut the posturing; this is an annonymous thread after all, nothing to be afraid of! And as for telling everyone what to do, fine you are actually giving good advice for getting out of there while maintaining a career, but let it be.........these are grown ups, they can figure out what is best for their particular situation.
I'm sure most who read these posts feel much the same, no one likes a mommy like lecturing when they are simply trying to figure out what Siemens has in store for them, good or bad.

What about it? Do you have any details? Is this something major (a la Abbott about a decade or so ago) or a minor 583 (I think that's the 'number')?

Throwing red meat to a bunch of hungry dogs and then not letting them eat it is cruel.

Please elaborate.

Woof Woof

once again.....how about this FDA mess caused by Walpole incompetence?

Read some of the other posts for your 'we' question. Ask some of those who are still your colleagues at sites that are not closing if they go to this site and what they think. I've done my homework, so you can do yours.

As for whether or not I work for Siemens, the point is basically irrelevant. I've been a pretty good predictor, whether as a knowledgeable outsider or an inside-leaker. Knowing that Immulite and Centaur markets did not overlap much, it was pretty easy to figure out that LA was history sooner or later once it was announced (here) that there would be no further development of Immulite systems, no project to replace beads, and that Immulite methods would be adapted to Centaur. I'm just trying to be objective and having seen that information here, I think I made a fairly logical conclusion. Then came the transfer of production away from LA. And I also posted that LA people should get out as fast as possible and not try to time things with the notion that they will get their notice and bonus one day, and a new job the next. I know how hard it is to find comparable work for the technical people and if I were really working for Siemens I wouldn't risk losing key people before I was ready. That's why Siemens paid the bonus. The job was supposed to be done by early this year, but due to a number of problems, the guilt for which is shared by many, it's taking longer than they had planned. I said it doesn't matter whether it's 2012 or 2013. What I meant, and later clarified, was that anyone still at DPC should be expending every effort to find new employment.

I think if you look at the above objectively, you are smart enough to know that it really doesn't matter much whether I do or don't work for Siemens. For what it's worth, I did interview for a position many years ago with DPC when the original Zs were really running things and the whole place was energized. I have been involved in many different aspects of DX for years and have learned alot about how things work. It is not that I wasn't, at one point, extremely sympathetic to the good folks at DPC ... I was simply trying to look at various facts and apply my best interpetation of them, be it good news or bad. I've been wrong in a few cases and have admitted it here. What more do you want?

"we all care less and less about you."

Who are we?

You can think anything you want and conduct all the polls you want, but I know the truth. So stay in your happy little LALA Land until Siemens says goodbye for good to you. With every one of your whines, we all care less and less about you.

Maybe in his subconscious state, he wishes he never worked for Siemens. That actually make sense.

"....but as an outsider who does not work for Siemens....."

To the "smartass" who thinks he is fooling the actual smart ones, this line is simply hilarious! Do you really think you can fool us by stating over and over again that you do not work for Siemens DX? I actually think you are one of those characters that loves being the Devil's advocate, while trying enormously to sound detached from the thing you post so much about. My bet is that you work at the LA site.......anyone else out there on board with me about this guy?

To the smartass with our best interests in mind: THANK YOU!

how about this FDA mess caused by Walpole incompetence?