The B-ultrasonic instrument is a medical imaging diagnostic instrument that uses ultra-high-frequency sound waves (above 20,000 Hz) to carry out non-invasive inspection on the human body. Its use of ultrasonic reflection characteristics and image gray difference, can clearly show the human tissue, organs, fetus. Nowadays, B-mode ultrasound has evolved from traditional planar B-mode ultrasound (2-dimensional B-mode ultrasound) to stereoscopic B-mode ultrasound (3-dimensional B-mode ultrasound). The latter not only enables doctors to observe high-resolution images of tissues and organs in patients from all angles, but also records and stores relevant information for later consultation. Color Doppler ultrasound can more clearly show the ulcers in the stomach and duodenum, as well as the extent of lesions in the pancreas, prostate, and large intestine. All in all, the B-ultrasound has become an indispensable diagnostic instrument for clinical examination.

Domestic B ultrasonic instrument blossoms worldwide

To date, there are hundreds of companies, colleges, and research institutes across the country engaged in the development and production of various ultrasonic instruments. In addition, a large number of self-produced B-ultrasound instruments are exported to overseas markets. According to statistics, in 2001, only a few dozen B-ultrasonic instruments were exported from China. However, since 2005, exports of B-type ultrasonic instruments have increased year after year. In 2005, China's exports of B-ultrasound instruments totaled 53.84 million US dollars; in 2006, total exports soared to 89.6 million US dollars, up 40% year-on-year; in 2007, total exports reached 93.4 million US dollars, an increase of about 5% from the previous year; In 2008, total exports reached US$109 million, an increase of 5.88% over 2007. China's B-ultrasound instrument export market reaches 215 countries and regions, it can be described as "China B-ultrasound instrument global flowering." Developed countries in the United States, Germany, Japan, and Europe have become the main export markets for B ultrasonic instruments in China.

This progress is greatly unexpected. Because in the past two years, the economic conditions in developed countries such as the United States, Europe, and Japan are generally not good, and China's B-ultrasonics exports to these countries have risen steadily. This shows that China's B-ultrasonics have been firmly and at a low price for the past few years. Occupy the middle and low B-meter market in developed countries.

It is worth noting that the Guangdong Province, which earlier developed and produced B-ultrasound instruments in China, has developed into a "leader" in the export of B-mode ultrasonic instruments (thousands of B-ultrasound instruments are exported annually), and its B-ultrasound instrument exports account for approximately 25% of the total exports of B-ultrasound instruments. Therefore, Guangdong Province has become a veritable "hometown of Chinese ultrasonic instruments."

Highly centralized production and sales

However, the five major export markets of China's B-mode ultrasound apparatus are still Japan, Hong Kong, Germany, the United States, and Switzerland. The total exports of B-ultrasound instruments in these major markets accounted for approximately 53% of the total exports of B-ultrasound instruments in China, while the sum of B-ultrasound instruments exports to other 200 countries and regions accounted for only 47%. At present, there are about 106 companies in China engaged in B-ultrasonics export business. Among them, the export volume of five manufacturers is relatively large, in order: 1. Shenzhen Mindray Biomedical Electronics Co., Ltd.; 2. Shanghai Aloika Medical Instrument Co., Ltd.; 3. Wuxi Xiangsheng Medical Imaging Co., Ltd.; 4. Shantou Ultrasonic Instrument Research Institute ; 5. Shenzhen Wild Electronics Co., Ltd. The number of B-ultrasound instruments exported by these five companies accounted for 68% of the total B-ultrasonic instruments exported by China. It can be seen that the production and sales of domestic B ultrasonic instruments are highly centralized.

The market is still optimistic this year

Last year, many people in the industry worried that the United States and other developed countries would reduce the imports of medical diagnostic equipment such as B-mode ultrasound scanners in China due to the impact of the economic crisis. However, this expectation has not yet become a reality. The reason is related to the continuous improvement of the quality of B-ultrasound instruments in China and the competitive pricing of equipment in the international market in recent years. According to foreign media reports, the quality of China's B-ultrasonic (black-and-white and color) instrument is comparable to that of European and American companies, but the price is cheaper.

For the export trend of B-mode ultrasound in developed countries in China in 2010, people in the industry still said “look good”. This is because Europe and the United States in the shadow of the economic crisis, due to the reduction of fiscal revenue, may further reduce the total domestic medical expenses. However, people’s medical needs will not be reduced. Therefore, developed countries are likely to purchase medical instruments in countries with low labor costs. In addition, the quality of B-ultrasound instruments in China has been widely recognized by medical circles in developed countries in the past few years. The hospitals in Europe and the United States will use the B-ultrasonic instruments produced in China.

Imports from Eastern Europe will expand further

In addition to the Czech Republic, which has a well-developed mechanical and electro-optical industry, Eastern European countries are generally less economically developed than Western European countries. In addition, a large number of B-ultrasound instruments exported to Western Europe and the United States market in previous years were generally well-received by users. These factors have prompted Eastern European countries to gradually use our B-mode ultrasound as the first choice for importing such equipment. According to statistics, in 2006, the number of B-ultrasound instruments exported to Poland, Hungary and Bulgaria and other eastern European countries was only a few hundred units. In the past two years, exports have soared to thousands of units. The total amount has also jumped from hundreds of thousands of dollars three years ago to more than ten million dollars. As China's B-ultrasonic device is difficult to replace the cost-effective advantages, in the next few years, Eastern European countries will further expand the number of imports of B-ultrasound in China.

Latin American Emerging Markets are worth Exploring

In 24 countries in Latin America, except for Mexico, the vast majority of countries have low levels of medical device processing. For a long time, Latin America has always been a competitive market for Western medical device manufacturers. Just a few years ago, the number of exports of B-ultrasound instruments to Latin American countries in our country was still “zero,” but in recent years, as domestic enterprises have increasingly expanded their overseas markets (especially Latin American countries), Latin American countries are now Become an emerging export market for domestic B-ultrasonics. Among them, the number of black and white B-ultrasonic instruments exports to the Latin American market has reached more than 2,500 units / year; the export price of more expensive color B-ultrasonic instruments has exceeded 851 units / year. Although exports have grown faster, overall, the total exports of B-ultrasonics in China are still far lower than those of European and American developed countries. Therefore, the development of the medical device market in Latin America needs to be strengthened.

Southeast Asian market opened

With a population of 500 million to 600 million people in Southeast Asia, it is a potential market for medical devices. Although China and Southeast Asian countries have geographically similar geographic advantages, the medical device market in the region has long been occupied by developed countries such as Japan, Germany, and the United States. It is difficult for China's medical device products to enter this market. However, the situation has changed in the past two years. The domestic color Doppler ultrasound scanner has been generally well-received by hospitals in the Philippines and India and other countries and regions. It is very suitable for use in Southeast Asian rural hospitals. Last year, China exported hundreds of color Doppler ultrasound scanners to Southeast Asian countries. It is expected that the number of B-ultrasound instruments exported to Southeast Asia will have a quantum leap this year.

International market favors portable devices

Since 2006, portable B-type ultrasonic machines have become popular in the international market. In 2006, the US GE company, which ranks among the top five manufacturers of B-mode ultrasounds in the world, had sales of US$176 million in its portable B-ultrasound instruments, an increase of 41% over the previous year. In 2008, the company's global sales of portable B-ultrasonic instruments exceeded 200 million U.S. dollars, which is nearly 1 times higher than the total export volume of China's B-mode ultrasound apparatus.

With advanced computer technology, a portable B-mode ultrasound scanner can perform the same tasks as a large B-mode ultrasound device, and the portable B-mode ultrasonic transducer is small in size (slightly larger than a laptop), portable, available AC or internal batteries, etc. With advanced power supply and advanced technology, it is ideal for use in rural hospitals, field hospitals, or mobile hospitals. The portable B-mode ultrasound instrument developed and produced by GE of the United States also has functions such as remote data transmission, which facilitates expert consultation. According to foreign reports, US military medical practitioners have repeatedly used portable ultrasonic scanners on the foreign battlefield to convert graphics into digital signals and sent them back to large domestic hospitals. Experts were asked to assist in the consultation, thus saving many seriously wounded American soldiers.

Industry insiders expect that the annual sales of portable ultrasonic B-scanners in 2011 will reach US$1 billion. Although some companies in China are also producing portable B-ultrasound instruments, there is a big gap between their technical performance and foreign products. In the future, China should increase the research and development of portable B-ultrasound instruments and strive to develop domestically-produced portable B-mode ultrasound instruments as soon as possible so as to occupy a place in the international market.