GE HealthCare Accelerates Localization with MR Eastern Hemisphere Headquarters Signing in Tianjin

Feb 28, 2024 18:30 CST Updated 18:30

GE Healthcare

Digital Solution Provider

On February 26, Lian Maojun, member of the Standing Committee of the Tianjin Municipal Party Committee and Secretary of the Binhai New District Party Committee, met with Jie Xue, President and CEO of GE Healthcare’s Global Magnetic Resonance Business, and Brian Montgomery, Chief Strategy Officer of GE Healthcare, in Chicago. During the meeting, Lian Maojun comprehensively promoted the solid industrial foundation and business environment of Tianjin's Binhai New District.And jointly witness the signing and settlement of GE Healthcare's MR Eastern Hemisphere Headquarters project in the Bonded Area.

MR Eastern Hemisphere Headquarters Settles in Tianjin Binhai New Area

Lian Maojun expressed gratitude for GE Healthcare's long-term support for the development of the new district during the talks.We hope that the company will accelerate the commencement of the MR Eastern Hemisphere headquarters project, further expanding the headquarters functions of its Tianjin production base.More R&D resources, innovative projects, and new product layouts will be allocated to the new district, striving to build Tianjin into an industrial R&D and manufacturing center with the most comprehensive range of industries, the most advanced technology, and the greatest development potential. The new district will firmly uphold the concept of "No excuses for not doing it, only ways to make it happen," providing full support services to enterprises for their development, helping them achieve greater success in the new district.

Xue Jie and Brian Montgomery expressed excitement about the achievements GE Healthcare has made in the new district’s development and thanked the new district for its strong support of GE Healthcare. They stated,GE Healthcare will continue to focus on Tianjin as a key area for in-depth development, accelerate the advancement of the MR Eastern Hemisphere headquarters project signed this time, gather more high-quality industry resources, and jointly promote the cluster development of the MR industry in Tianjin.

It is reported that GE Healthcare, headquartered in Chicago, USA, is a global leader in medical technology, diagnostic drugs, and digital solutions innovation. As one of GE Healthcare's key strategic layout regions globally, Tianjin has become an important production base for its MR business serving the global market after ten years of development.

Optimization of Strategic Layout:The signing and implementation of the MR Eastern Hemisphere Headquarters project will further enhance the strategic core position of GE Healthcare's Tianjin base in the global market, optimizing and improving its functional layout in areas such as technology research and development, production manufacturing, and after-sales service.

Talent and Technology Aggregation:At the same time, it can attract more high-end talents and upstream and downstream enterprises in the industrial chain to gather in the new area, accelerating the construction of GE Healthcare's "one headquarters and three centers" industrial highland.

SupplyConstruction of the Supply Chain Ecosystem:This project signing further builds the MR industry's supply chain ecosystem radiating to the international market of the Eastern Hemisphere, achieving a leap in capability from单一 production manufacturing to research and development, production, and sales services, making the Tianjin base the largest international magnetic resonance production base outside of GE Healthcare's American homeland.

Tianjin Factory Celebrates a Decade, Establishing a Global MR Production Base

In June 2014, GE Tianjin MRI Factory was officially completed and put into production in the Tianjin Airport Economic Zone.This $100 million factory is GE Healthcare's second-largest MRI plant globally., and it is the only factory outside the United States that is capable of producing magnets and MRI systems., GE Healthcare's magnetic resonance imaging systems sold globally have50%Derived from here.

The base mainly produces magnetic resonance imaging systems for the grassroots market, including: 1.5T superconducting magnet, new fiber MR system (Brivo355), spiral MR system (Optima360), and Kizuna 3.0T MR system.

丨GE Healthcare MR Series Products

SIGNA™ Series:SIGNA™ is GE Healthcare's high-performance MR series, including multiple devices with different capabilities, such as SIGNA™ Premier, SIGNA™ Architect, etc. These devices provide high-resolution imaging while also focusing on patient comfort and scanning efficiency.

Discovery™ Series:The Discovery™ series is another flagship product line of GE Healthcare, designed to provide excellent imaging quality and efficient workflow to meet the high demands of clinical diagnosis. For example, the Discovery™ MR750w 3.0T uses wide-bore technology, enhancing patient comfort.

The Tianjin facility is also GE Healthcare's fifth production base in China following Beijing, Shanghai, Tonglu, and Wuxi, since the launch of the Beijing plant in 1991. Among the three giants in the imaging field, GPS, GE has the highest level of localization in China.GE Healthcare is also known as the "Whampoa Military Academy" of China's domestically produced imaging equipment industry.。

As we all know, magnetic resonance imaging provides doctors with real-time images of the inside of the body, helping them understand more clearly the specific conditions of organs such as the brain, spine, and heart. The MR products produced at this facility utilize modern, cutting-edge imaging technology. The assembly of a 1.5T fiber-optic MR system involves over 1,000 steps and more than 300 tests, integrating multiple innovative technologies into one.

High-End MRI Production Base Rises in Tianjin, Growing 10-Fold in Five Years

China has always been one of the largest markets for GE Healthcare, especially in medical imaging equipment such as magnetic resonance. GE, Philips, and Siemens together occupy half of the market share in China.

GE Tianjin MRI Factory is the only production base outside the United States with the capability to produce 3.0T MRI systems, superconducting magnets, and MRI systems for GE Healthcare. It is also the only facility in China that supplies high-end 3.0T MRI equipment to the global market for GE Healthcare.Currently, the 3.0T SIGNA™ Pioneer series of high-end MRI products from GE Healthcare's Tianjin MRI production base have been installed and are in use in markets such as Japan, South Korea, and Australia.

According to reports,After GE Healthcare's Tianjin MRI production base settled in the Tianjin Port Free Trade Zone in 2014, magnet production capacity surged forward at an average annual growth rate of over 70%, and by 2019, it had achieved a tenfold increase in capacity within five years.Especially in 2016-2017, the company made a breakthrough in the production of 3.0T high-field superconducting magnets. Compared to traditional 1.5T, 3.0T MRI has a higher magnetic field strength, which means more accurate and faster diagnosis; brain scan time was reduced from 20 minutes to two and a half minutes.

China-Made Spectral Digital PET/MR Installed at Tianjin Factory

In the past decade, as the supply chain ecosystem for medical devices in China has gradually improved, the conditions for the localization of high-end medical imaging equipment have also matured. This has led many multinational healthcare companies to increase their investment in localized production. This trend has also propelled China's medical device industry into a phase of high-level development, with GE Healthcare being one of the key players.

Before the 2023 CIIE, GE Healthcare established a production line for the next-generation "Spectral Digital PET/MR" at its Tianjin MRI base.Launch the manufacturing of domestically produced spectral digital PET/MR, becoming the first global enterprise to localize PET/MR production in China.。This means that users in China will soon be able to enjoy this cutting-edge device in sync with the rest of the world.

According to the introduction, the "Spectral Digital PET/MR" is based on an intelligent multi-energy window diagnosis and treatment algorithm with a spectral correction system, as well as a comprehensively upgraded MR platform and TPU reconstruction system. It achieves precise quantification of all radionuclides and rapid imaging of full sequences. This provides a more comprehensive assessment of disease states and more accurate treatment guidance for various complex clinical conditions, including neurodegenerative diseases, rectal cancer, breast cancer, and prostate tumors. While benefiting cancer patients worldwide, it also accelerates the integration of tumor diagnosis and treatment as well as forward-looking fundamental research.

It is reported that at the first CIIE in 2018, GE Healthcare exhibited the then globally leading PET/MR product, which attracted widespread attention. Several years have passed, and the PET/MR products have been gradually deployed to end users, assisting dozens of top-tier hospitals in China with clinical research on difficult diseases in the nervous system, various tumors, and the cardiovascular system. Many clinical research achievements have been made in this process, significantly promoting the clinical value implementation of integrated PET/MR.

"In 2023, the fully new generation 'Spectral Digital PET/MR' production line has been established at the Tianjin MRI base, initiating the manufacturing of Spectral Digital PET/MR in China. Very soon, users in China will be able to enjoy this cutting-edge, brand-new generation equipment in sync with the rest of the world," said Tihao Zhang, CEO of GE Healthcare China.The spectral digital PET/MR exhibited during the CIIE was produced at GE Healthcare's Tianjin factory.

It is reported that more than 50% of the new products launched by GE Healthcare are currently manufactured in China, including most of the components being produced and supplied domestically. So far, over 100 innovative products have been developed and introduced to the market locally in China. From product development, to supply chain manufacturing, to after-sales service, GE Healthcare has actually established a complete service chain for products made in China.

GE Healthcare's MR production base in Tianjin is an important part of its global strategic layout and has become a significant production base for the global market. This not only reflects GE Healthcare's emphasis on the Chinese market but also represents its globalization strategy. By establishing a production base in Tianjin, GE Healthcare can better serve the market demands of the Eastern Hemisphere in Asia while leveraging China's advantages in manufacturing, talent, and market to enhance its global competitiveness.

▲ Source of the article:Medical Device Innovation Network

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