ESSEN, Germany, July 6, 2010 /PRNewswire/ -- With its outstanding and innovative design, the HI VISION Preirus, an ultrasound-based diagnostic imaging platform used to scan internal body organs including the unborn baby, impressed the jury of one of the most prestigious international design competitions. In the red dot award: product design 2010 the HI VISION Preirus ultrasound platform was awarded the red dot label for high design quality by the jury of top-class experts. The festive awards presentation, with more than 1,000 guests, took place in the Essen opera house, the Aalto-Theatre, on 5 July 2010. The product is being presented in a four-week special exhibition at the red dot design museum on the premises of the Zollverein colliery in Essen, Germany, the 2010 European Capital of Culture.

HI VISION Preirus is a fully software-oriented, digital ultrasound platform that features the latest imaging and transducer technology. Combined with advanced ergonomic design, the ultrasound platform blends exceptional levels of user-friendliness with superior image quality to guarantee maximum diagnostic confidence for sonographers and patients.

All products that have received a red dot design award had to convince an expert international jury of their quality. The products stand out from the masses with their excellent design and innovative approaches and proved their quality in one of the toughest design competitions worldwide, explains design expert Professor Dr. Peter Zec, initiator of the red dot design award. This year, designers and companies from 57 nations with a total of 4,252 products took part in the red dot award: product design.

The exhibition of the winning products in the red dot design museum

Together with the other award-winning products, the HI VISION Preirus ultrasound platform will be on display from 6 July to 1 August 2010 in the exhibition Design on stage - winners red dot award: product design 2010 at the red dot design museum on the premises of the 'Zeche Zollverein' World Cultural Heritage Site in Essen. After that it will be presented in the red dot design museum's permanent exhibition for at least one year. With approximately 1,500 products displayed over more than 4,000 square metres, the red dot design museum houses the largest permanent exhibition of contemporary design worldwide.

The red dot design award

Today, the red dot design award, the origins of which go back to 1955, is the largest and most renowned design competition worldwide. It consists of the individual disciplines red dot award: product design, red dot award: communication design, and red dot award: design concept. In 2009 the competition recorded around 12,000 entries from more than 60 nations.

For further information about red dot and HI VISION Preirus please visit the following websites

http://www.red-dot.de/press

http://www.hitachi-medical-systems.eu

About Hitachi Medical Systems Europe

Hitachi Medical Corporation, a globally active company owned by the Japanese Hitachi Ltd. Group , is a leading international electronics company with approximately 400,000 employees worldwide. The Hitachi Medical Corporation is represented in Europe by Hitachi Medical Systems Europe Holding AG, with headquarters in Zug, Switzerland and its subsidiaries. The company is a first choice supplier of powerful open high-field MRI systems and multi-slice CT systems, as well as medical ultrasound and optical topography devices. Ultrasound expertise encompasses clinical applications including general radiology, internal medicine, gynaecology, cardiology, gastroenterology, urology and surgery. Hitachi Medical Systems offers a complete range of solutions to address a wide range of medical challenges.

Note to Editors:

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For more information http://www.hitachi-medical-systems.com Press contact Pleon C-Matrix Group AG Barbara Steinberg Stampfenbachstrasse 52 CH-8006 Zurich Phone +41-43-300-56-75 E-mail barbara.steinberg@pleon.com Hitachi Medical Systems Europe (Holding) AG Romea Wallnoefer Sumpfstrasse 13 CH-6300 Zug Phone +41-41-748-63-43 E-mail r.wallnoefer@hitachi-medical-systems.com or Ms. Justine Otto Press and Public Relations red dot design award Phone +49-201-30104-35 E-mail otto@red-dot.de http://www.red-dot.de

SOURCE: Hitachi Medical Systems Europe (Holding) AG

CONTACT: For more information: Press contact: Pleon C-Matrix Group AG,Barbara Steinberg, Stampfenbachstrasse 52, CH-8006 Zurich, Phone+41-43-300-56-75, E-mail barbara.steinberg@pleon.com; Hitachi MedicalSystems Europe (Holding) AG: Romea Wallnoefer, Sumpfstrasse 13, CH-6300Zug, Phone +41-41-748-63-43, E-mailr.wallnoefer@hitachi-medical-systems.com or Ms. Justine Otto, Press andPublic Relations red dot design award, Phone +49-201-30104-35, E-mailotto@red-dot.de