Southeast Nuclear Electronics, Canton, Ga., sells and services nuclear medicine equipment, including installations, relocations, refurbishing and any related functions in the field. What sets the company apart is their total specialization in nuclear and their affordable rates.

"Nuclear is all we do so we don't try to be everything to everybody," said President Paul Eaton, with more than 30 years in the industry. "Something we pride ourselves in is technical expertise. I know a company that tried to do everything and you simply can't do it all well. We have chosen to remain strictly in nuclear and further selected Siemens, General Electric and Philips as our target industry."


Eaton is able to quickly isolate service issues and address them precisely, saving when compared to other service providers that are less knowledgeable and often have to replace several parts before zeroing in on the problem. The company maintains a 3,500-square-foot warehouse with a vast array of parts and equipment including cameras.

Customers include hospitals and imaging centers and some small, private practices since cardiologists in particular depend on nuclear medicine. Technologies include SPECT gamma cameras. Eaton recommends twice-yearly preventive maintenance. "There's a lot of mechanical parts in these pieces of equipment such as the gantry that moves the detectors around which are very heavy. It needs to be lubricated and inspected for wear with certain items replaced every year or so."

For hospital customers, Eaton supplies parts to biomedical departments and tech support. "Something that has changed drastically over the years is that a lot of hospitals and even some of the larger clinics are going with asset management places," he said of industry trends. Those firms have their own biomedical people but they tap Eaton for nuclear medicine. "They do call me and ask advice on different cameras so they can act in their hospitals' best interest in their acquisitions," he said.

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