Partnership Means Turnaround Time as Fast as 72-Hours for Earmolds Ordered via mySiemens with iScan™
Denver, Colorado, April 19, 2007 - A joint technology development effort between two of the hearing industry's leading companies - Siemens Hearing Instruments and Westone Laboratories - promises to dramatically cut the turn-around time in the fitting and delivery of Westone earmolds for use with Siemens Behind-the-Ear (BTE) hearing instruments. Customers using mySiemens e-order system with iScanTM, Siemens in-office digital ear impression scanner, can now electronically order Westone earmolds and receive them for use with Siemens BTEs all within just a few days of placing the order.
"This new system completely changes the industry's typical two week turnaround time that most professionals experience when ordering earmolds," said Bill Lesiecki, Director of Software and e-Business Solutions at Siemens Hearing Instruments. "In the past, the "normal" process for ordering earmolds involved sending paper order forms and ear impressions to the earmold lab."
Under this arrangement, Westone will provide rapid order processing of their FIT™ custom earmold line, manufactured via an SLA process similar to Siemens' well known LasR™ manufacturing process for hearing instrument shells. One of the important elements of this process, beyond the high quality fittings it offers, is that shipment of Westone FIT earmolds for Siemens iScan customers will occur within 72 hours of Westone receiving the order. Under the new system, 3D digital impression images are electronically delivered to Westone from the iScan system at a Hearing Care Professional's office. Upon receipt of the images via the mySiemens eForm, Westone manufactures a highly accurate earmold. The new process totally eliminates in-bound mail shipping of an order form or ear impression, a process that previously added significantly to the delivery turnaround time of the finished earmold.
"The alliance couples state-of-the-art hearing instruments with premium quality Westone earmolds" said Lesiecki. "Ease is the by-word - the instrument order and the earmold order are done as one single, smooth, streamlined process."
iScan and mySiemens eliminate the hassles related to handling, shipping, and paper-work errors that can occur during the ordering process. The new process will improve patient satisfaction and retention by delivering the earmold order, ready for fitting, within just days of the office visit.
"We are very excited to provide Hearing Care Professionals with the ability to deliver a high performance BTE with a custom earmold through a single electronic order," said Lynn Kehler, President and CEO of Westone. "The mySiemens/iScan system, coupled with Westone's FIT manufacturing process, results in a quick and accurate hearing instrument fitting which allows wearers to make a faster return to the world of hearing."
About Siemens Hearing Instruments
Siemens Hearing Instruments, part of Siemens Medical Solutions, is one of the leading manufacturers of hearing instruments in the United States. Headquartered in Piscataway, New Jersey, the Company offers a range of innovative products, solutions and services to Hearing Care Professionals across the United States. Among its innovative products, the Company designs and manufactures a variety of digital hearing aids in all styles to improve the quality of life for individuals with hearing loss. Visit www.usa.siemens.com/hearing for more information or the Siemens Web Channel on Audiology Online at www.audiologyonline.com/channels/siemens.asp
About Westone
W estone Laboratories, Inc., with corporate headquarters in Colorado Springs, Colorado, is widely recognized as the worldwide leader in the design & manufacturing of custom earmolds for hearing healthcare and other applications. In addition to carrying thousands of products for use by professionals and their patients, Westone is also a source of technical counsel, ideas, and assistance. Visit www.westone.com for more information.
