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hand, Stryker and C. R. Bard earn approximately two-thirds of their revenue in the U.S., making them more vulnerable to the taxs impact.2 Equipment titan Thermo Fisher Scientific predicts little impact on its business because the majority of its sales are laboratory devices, which are not subject to the tax. The company estimates its exposure to result in a tax of only $20 million to $25 million.3 Breaking out revenues of devices vs. services adds an administrative burden to pricing and accounting activities, and theres no doubt it will impact the way companies write future pricing agreements. Bundled pricing of products and services is likely to change. It should be noted that the tax burden is especially high for startup companies. Because the tax applies to total device sales rather than profits, young organizations with nascent profits pay disproportionate shares of their profits toward the tax. In addition, startups tend to earn a higher percentage of revenues from U.S. domestic sales and typically earn less service revenue. The result is that the new tax may lead to increased industry consolidation and discourage the innovation and creativity that is often the hallmark of young businesses.
some steps to offset the tax, such as aggressively pursuing new business outside the U.S. From 2009 to 2012, the industry grew non-U.S. revenues from 41.5% to 45.5% of total revenues a surprisingly large and rapid shift in such a short timeframe (see Figure 2, next page). In addition, empirical evidence shows device makers putting the brakes on hiring. According to a review of corporate 10-K filings, total employment among the largest device manufacturers reached 183,298 in 2009, the year before the Affordable Care Act was signed into law. By 2012, the companies employment had risen by 6.9% to 195,965. Revenues grew an even healthier 12.3% (see Figure 3, next page). Revenue growth that outpaces hiring should result in productivity gains that appear in improved SG&A as a percentage of sales. Yet among medical device makers, SG&A as a percentage of revenues has worsened (see Figure 4, page 4). The industrys decline in SG&A performance between 2009 and 2012 may in part reflect the expansion overseas. It also suggests that the productivity gains are showing up elsewhere in the corporation, most likely in manufacturing. Device makers sagging SG&A cost efficiency also clearly indicates that the industrys expansion through mergers and acquisitions has produced multiple redundant back-office functions that are decentralized, nonstandardized and fragmented. Despite the abundant M&A activity, we dont see the SG&A efficiency gains that would indicate
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companies integrating their combined systems and wringing out the inefficiencies. These nonoptimized SG&A costs are an obvious target for offsetting the excise tax.
costs. But the data shows companies have not yet begun to do so. To carry out the reductions, manufacturers may need to reduce their research and development investments and take a fresh look at marginally profitable product lines; however, SG&A is the obvious target. The goal should be a 50% reduction in costs for activities such as payroll, general HR support, general accounting, accounts receivables processing, accounts payables processing, fixed assets accounting and support of redundant IT applications. The industry needs to assess and benchmark its SG&A functions, document the landscape people, processes, systems and costs and
2012
40% 40% 35% 35% 34% 29% 27% 25% 33%
With limited options, companies need to take an objective and disciplined approach to SG&A cost reduction that meets the margin squeeze and results in healthier businesses. Although SG&A is the target, lets be clear: we recommend not cutting sales but focusing on the general and administrative expenses that fall within SG&A, such as human resources, finance and procurement. In general, HR is not a primary target for cost reduction because it is more of a people function that companies need to maintain at least partially in the field. As such, this function does not always lend itself as well to centralization and automation. Finance, however, is an important target for cost reduction. Approximately 60% of companies finance and accounting headcount is related to transaction processing. As such, companies can generate significant savings by wringing inefficiencies out of finance transaction processes such as accounts payables, accounts receivables, fixed assets, general accounting and the payroll process whether managed by HR or finance and typically with little impact to the customer. Procurement, too, is a major part of a companys cost structure, and any savings from more effective procurement go straight to the bottom line. The key in procurement is not to reduce headcount but to make people more effective. Strategic sourcing is a critical exercise through which organizations analyze spending, rationalize vendors, re-bid contracts and centralize master data maintenance, both vendor and item masters. A disciplined approach is essential to identifying costs that can be reduced. Start by assessing and benchmarking functions. What systems are used? How automated are they? To what degree has outsourcing been used? Are best practices being utilized? Once your organization has assessed and documented the operational landscape, it can begin making the strategic choice of which functions to retain and which are candidates for automation and outsourcing. With the development and implementation of a transformation roadmap, your organization can make the adjustments to offset the excise tax and emerge a stronger, more efficient business.
develop plans to reduce costs through standardization, systems rationalization, increased automation, shared services and outsourcing (see Figure 5).
Looking Forward
The time for device makers to act is rapidly running out. The effect of the new tax is already rippling through 2013 earnings. Integra Life Sciences and Cytomedix are among the device makers that cited the excise tax as a factor in their decreased margins in the first quarter of 2013.4,5 Engineering giant Smiths Group is mulling plans to sell its medical division, citing a 10% decline in operating profits that it attributes to factors that include the new tax.6
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Figure 5
Footnotes
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Description of H.R. 436, The Protect Medical Innovation Act of 2011, Joint Committee on Taxation, Publication JCX-45-12, May 29, 2012. U.S. Securities And Exchange Commission, Form 10-K. Ibid. Disappointing 1Q Earnings for IART, Zacks Equity Research, May 10, 2013. Cytomedixs CEO Discusses Q1 2013 Results - Earnings Call Transcript, SeekingAlpha, May 10, 2013. Smiths in Talks Over Medical Sale, Midland News Express & Star, May 31, 2013.
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