MONROVIA, Calif. -- Xerox Corp. said Tuesday it has agreed to sell its struggling medical systems business to Du Pont for an undisclosed amount.
Xerox said the deal for division, which employs about 200 workers, would close in two to three months.
The unit, based in Monrovia, Calif., produces and markets the company's xeroradiography technology for use in early detection of breast cancer. Xerox developed the system, which uses electrostatic technology, in the late 1960s as an alternative to using X-rays in mammography.
Xerox had announced on Jan. 31 it was stopping active sales and marketing efforts and new product development in the division because it was no longer consistent with its strategy of focusing on the company's core business of document processing.
Xerox said at the time that it would lay off about 160 employees at its facilities in Monrovia and Pasadena, Calif.
The division has been continuing to service its regular accounts, said Connie Desautels, the unit's manager of customer support. 'It's been business as usual,' she said.
Du Pont plans to include the business in its diagnostic imaging systems division, spokesman Mike Ricciuto said. No layoffs are planned, he said.
Jerome Smith, the division's director, said, 'This proposed acquisition would provide us with new, valuable technology and resources to explore applications in a number of areas of radiology.'
Xerox, based in Stamford, Conn., had second-quarter earnings of $179 million on revenues of $4.4 billion.
Du Pont, based in Wilmington, Del., had second-quarter earnings of $714 million on revenues of $9.3 billion.