CT Tube Industry Veteran Returns to the Arena: Guochen Medical Files for IPO to Bridge the Last Mile of Domestic CT Tube Services
“Each generation of devices drives a corresponding generation of equipment”; device innovation is the foundation for achieving transformative advancements in medical equipment. For large-scale domestic imaging systems to achieve true localization, the indigenization of core components represents a critical challenge that must be overcome.
As the “heart” of CT scanners, the CT X-ray tube directly impacts image quality and service life, thereby determining the upper limit of CT performance. It serves not only as the signal source carrier but also as the sole high-value consumable component in CT systems, with prices ranging from hundreds of thousands to over one million RMB. Accounting for approximately 10–20% of the bill of materials (BOM) cost of a complete CT scanner, it is a critical component that exerts disproportionate influence despite its small size. Throughout the 12th, 13th, and 14th Five-Year Plans, the Chinese government has consistently emphasized the need to achieve significant breakthroughs and accelerate the development of domestically produced CT X-ray tubes.
CT X-ray tubes encompass multiple technical domains, including beam optics, mechanical engineering, electromagnetics, vacuum technology, specialized materials, kinematics, and heat exchange. They impose stringent requirements on manufacturing processes, foundational infrastructure, and process equipment, resulting in exceptionally high barriers to design and production that necessitate prolonged accumulation of expertise and experience. The manufacturing process is lengthy, complex, and precise, with rigorous process conditions and interdependent steps, while featuring a relatively low degree of automation. Any imperfection in a single step can compromise the final performance and quality of the product. Consequently, the number of companies worldwide capable of producing CT X-ray tubes is very limited, whether they are integrated CT system manufacturers or independent tube makers, and these producers are predominantly foreign enterprises.
Under the monopoly, domestic CT tube manufacturers have unleashed powerful independent innovation capabilities. Wuxi Guochen Medical Technology Co., Ltd. (“Guochen Medical”) is one such example.
Wuxi Guochen Medical Technology Co., Ltd., established in 2023, specializes in the end-to-end independent research, development, and manufacturing of core components for imaging equipment such as CT, X-ray, and DR systems. The company aims to achieve self-sufficiency and control over domestically produced core components for large-scale imaging devices, including CT and DR X-ray tubes. Its business scope encompasses third-party X-ray tube replacement, complete system OEM services, and high-end customized development.
Although Guochen Medical has been established for less than a year and is a “new” player in the field of domestically produced core components for medical imaging, its team—particularly those in technology, production, and marketing—comprises seasoned veterans with years of experience honed at leading domestic and international CT X-ray tube manufacturers such as GPS, or within the broader medical imaging industry.
Founder Ren Guotao is a serial entrepreneur who has dedicated many years to the field of CT X-ray tubes. He participated in the independent research, development, and manufacturing of domestically produced CT X-ray tubes and launched the first domestic liquid metal bearing X-ray tube product. Co-founder Wang Xiaoxing has been deeply rooted in the vacuum electron tube industry for 15 years, mastering the entire process of X-ray tube R&D, production, and manufacturing. He holds four invention patents and 14 utility model patents. He previously led the completion of a major scientific and technological special project in Shandong Province and participated in the completion of a National Science and Technology Support Program project.
Leveraging the founding team’s strong industry influence, Guochen Medical has rapidly assembled a formidable, multidisciplinary team of experts in materials science, electron vacuum technology, mechatronics, electronic engineering, and electrical automation. The company has not only built substantial technical reserves in areas such as liquid metal bearings, flat-panel filaments, and thermal management technologies, but also established extensive market sales channels, enabling Guochen Medical to achieve synergistic operations across its supply chain, industrial chain, and market distribution networks.
“Leveraging our team’s technical expertise and resource advantages, we can rapidly ramp up across the five key elements—man, machine, material, method, and environment—while minimizing detours. We have particularly deep accumulation in engineering and industrialized manufacturing,” said Ren Guotao.
Currently, Guochen Medical has established a comprehensive R&D system for CT X-ray tube design and developed a 2,600-square-meter production base in Wuxi, Jiangsu Province, featuring independent facilities for R&D, manufacturing, testing, and office operations. The base is equipped with professional Class 10,000 cleanrooms for tube core assembly and has built a complete production and service system, including two CT production lines and one DR production line, with an designed annual capacity exceeding 5,000 units.
Furthermore, Guochen Medical’s production base is equipped with more than ten independent lead-shielded testing rooms, capable of meeting the daily testing requirements for multiple mainstream CT models.
Guochen Medical Factory Building, Image from the Company's Official Website
According to Ren Guotao, there are currently about 10 domestic CT X-ray tube manufacturers in China, six of which are located in Jiangsu Province. Jiangsu boasts a resilient supply chain and strong industrial cluster effects in the field of CT X-ray tubes. Furthermore, the region offers a superior business environment, with the local government having introduced a series of entrepreneurial support policies to foster a fertile ground for startups. Leveraging policy support from the Administrative Committee of the Economic Development Zone, Wuxi Guochen Medical Technology Co., Ltd. is poised to further expand its presence in the domestic market.
In terms of commercialization, Guochen Medical has targeted the third-party replacement market, the complete equipment OEM market, and the high-end custom development market.
X-ray tubes, as consumables, require periodic replacement. If the maintenance tube used during replacement is the product originally equipped by the CT manufacturer at the time of factory shipment, it is referred to as an “original equipment manufacturer (OEM) tube”; otherwise, it is classified as a “replacement tube.” The so-called “third-party replacement market” refers to the market for X-ray tubes not produced by the original CT system manufacturers. Currently, X-ray tubes used by domestic CT system manufacturers are basically third-party OEM products.
Driven by policies such as Made in China 2025 and the Catalogue for Licensing the Configuration of Large Medical Equipment (2018), and with the implementation of the tiered diagnosis and treatment system, the market share of domestically produced mid- to low-end CT scanners with fewer than 64 slices has steadily increased. In light of this situation, Guochen Medical has prioritized the domestic mid- to low-end CT market, which has a substantial installed base, entering through ball-bearing CT X-ray tubes to gradually achieve market penetration.
Ren Guotao emphasized that the choice of ball bearings was not due to their technical simplicity, but rather based on considerations of current market prevalence. Although liquid metal bearings are becoming the mainstream trend in the industry, manufacturers are currently in an exploratory phase, and the technology has not yet matured. Wuxi Guochen Medical Technology Co., Ltd. is also actively developing key technologies such as liquid metal bearings, laying the groundwork for the future research, development, and customization of high-end X-ray tubes.
Product Showcase of Guochen Medical
In the OEM market for complete CT systems—referring to new installations sourced by CT system manufacturers—the primary buyers are domestic Chinese CT manufacturers, while potential buyers include imported-brand CT manufacturers producing in China. This sector primarily tests x-ray tube manufacturers on product stability, customized design capabilities, and adaptability improvement. Guochen Medical has built its product portfolio around the mainstream tube models used in domestic CT equipment, covering multiple major domestic and international machine platforms to enable direct drop-in replacements, and is leveraging high-end customization to access the global OEM market.
“Only when our products gain recognition through rigorous testing by our clients’ manufacturers, and their performance metrics meet or even exceed the original equipment manufacturer (OEM) standards, can we firmly establish ourselves in the OEM market and the high-end customization market,” added Ren Guotao.
Starting with the X-ray tube replacement business is the primary step in Guochen Medical’s strategic layout. Meanwhile, the company is engaged in discussions with leading manufacturers to actively advance its OEM operations. Given that both the annual number of new installations and the total installed base in overseas markets far exceed those in China, Guochen Medical will also expand into international markets, aligning closely with national policies to proactively promote its global expansion strategy.
In March this year, Guochen Medical and Hayes signed a strategic cooperation agreement, with both parties engaging in extensive collaboration in areas such as bearing supply, tube assembly processing, and precision machining. This marks the official acceleration of Guochen Medical’s entry into the X-ray tube sector.
It is reported that the company has multiple R&D prototype tubes entering the type-testing phase, while several X-ray products are also undergoing intensive certification processes, with approvals expected sequentially by the end of this year or early next year. Moving forward, the company will gradually launch liquid metal bearing and DSA tube products to meet diverse market demands.
Meanwhile, to ensure stable and reliable product quality, the relevant products will be successively installed on various models of CT scanners at hospital users both domestically and internationally. Wuxi Guochen Medical Technology Co., Ltd. will also provide prompt and efficient service support tailored to the specific needs of hospital imaging diagnostics, thereby minimizing equipment downtime to the greatest extent possible.
In the past, China’s third-party CT maintenance market was constrained by a lack of in-house X-ray tube development capabilities, forcing service providers to rely on procuring original equipment manufacturer (OEM) X-ray tubes for repairs, which resulted in exorbitant maintenance costs. Today, with the rise of domestically produced CT X-ray tubes, healthcare institutions have more diverse options. However, public data indicates that domestic brands hold less than 5% of the market share for CT X-ray tubes. This low penetration is attributable not only to the strong brand recognition and product quality of foreign CT X-ray tube manufacturers but also significantly to irregularities in after-sales maintenance services.
Ren Guotao told VCBeat that the primary profits related to CT scanners stem from the aftermarket. As the only high-value consumable in CT systems, the CT X-ray tube is a key focus for original equipment manufacturers (OEMs), who impose stringent requirements on tube manufacturers’ service capabilities, response speed, and product lifespan. However, the industry currently lacks unified standards, resulting in inconsistent service quality among vendors.
Based on this, Guochen Medical has established a one-stop shared service center, aiming to unite industrial forces and empower the third-party after-sales service market. By standardizing, regulating, and systematizing operational processes encompassing personnel training, equipment, techniques, and services, the company is creating a “4S store” for domestically produced imaging components. This initiative raises industry service benchmarks, bridges the last “mile” of CT X-ray tube services, and enhances customer experience, ensuring that users can not only access these products but also utilize them effectively.
As the localization of high-end medical equipment advances, achieving full domestic production of core components for imaging devices has become an urgent priority. We look forward to emerging R&D manufacturers of core imaging components, represented by Guochen Medical, successfully realizing the domestic substitution and autonomous controllability of core devices in high-end medical equipment.
References:
1. [Integrated Research | Special Topic on Core Technology Breakthroughs — CT X-ray Tube: The Critical “Choke Point” for Independent CT Development and the “Core” of a Medical Powerhouse]
2. “Industry Research | CT X-ray Tubes: A Beachhead Landing in the Upstream of Domestic Medical Equipment”