by
Thomas Dworetzky, Contributing Reporter | January 05, 2016
The accounting-scandal-plagued giant is now rumored to be readying to sell all or part of its Toshiba Medical Systems unit, with Fujifilm Holdings a likely contender.
Toshiba wholly owns Toshiba Medical, and
sources told the Yomiuri Shimbun that it is planning to sell 50 percent or more of its shares to raise money. Such a sale to an overseas company, however, might be tough to get through the government as it would lower the competitiveness of Japanese firms, so it is likely that the buyer would be a Japanese firm.
For Fujifilm, the purchase would generate little overlap between existing product lines, as the company's health care offerings consist primarily of X-ray systems, pharmaceuticals, and endoscopy equipment. Sources report that Toshiba has already discussed its selling plans with Fujifilm.
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Nikkei Asian Review cites Sony, Hitachi, Canon, GE Healthcare and the Samsung group as other possible bidders.
HCB News reached out to Toshiba for comment but did not immediately receive a response.
In a statement issued on December 21, Toshiba stated its decision to "invite outside majority shareholder(s)" was based on "careful and thorough consideration" and being done "in order to gain sufficient business resources for appropriate investment toward TMSC’s further growth," indicating the company does not have plans to sell its entire medical business, only the majority of it.
Toshiba, at the very end of 2015, reported that it estimated a net loss in the year ending in March to hit a record $4.5 billion. This includes a $1.2 billion restructuring cost brought about by its accounting scandal,
The New York Times reported in December. Toshiba admitted in July that it had overstated profits by over 150 billion yen during a seven year period.
The Japanese firm announced at that time that it would cut 7,800 jobs, which added to other cuts, puts the employment losses at about 10,000 for 2015.
To add to its trouble, Moody's downgraded its credit rating to Ba2 — junk status — at year-end. "The announcement indicated that earnings and cash flow generation will be significantly below our previous expectations," Moody's analyst Masako Kuwahara
told The Telegraph.
