GE HealthCare and Wuxi Forge a Smart Healthcare Innovation Hub in the Yangtze River Delta Under the Upgraded 'Full Localization' Strategy

On October 18, 2021, marking the 25th anniversary of the establishment of GE Healthcare’s Wuxi base, Wuxi High-Tech Zone and GE Healthcare signed a “Strategic Cooperation Memorandum on the Smart Medical Industry.” The two parties jointly defined three key development directions: enhancing the innovation, R&D, and manufacturing capabilities of domestically produced medical equipment in Wuxi; deepening ecological cooperation within high-end industrial clusters; and strengthening the incubation of medical innovation enterprises. With Wuxi at its core, this initiative aims to comprehensively upgrade the new layout of the medical science and technology innovation cluster in the Yangtze River Delta, working together to build a “Science and Technology Innovation Circle” for smart healthcare in the region.

On the same day, GE Healthcare’s “Wuxi Innovation Center” was officially launched. The first batch of resident enterprises—Shennan, Dewei, Maide Intelligence, and Shukun Technology—signed strategic cooperation agreements with GE Healthcare, marking the first step in a new layout for medical technology innovation. Leaders attending the event included Jiang Min, Member of the Standing Committee of the Municipal Party Committee, Deputy Secretary of the Leading Party Members Group of the Municipal Government, Secretary of the Working Committee of the High-Tech Zone, and Secretary of the Xinwu District Committee; and Cui Rongguo, Deputy Secretary of the Working Committee of the Wuxi High-Tech Zone, Director of the Administrative Committee, Deputy Secretary of the Xinwu District Committee, and District Mayor.

The Wuxi base is one of GE’s largest R&D centers globally. By adopting a model of “in-depth product experience + collaborative innovation with customers,” it synchronizes GE’s top-tier global resources in R&D and technological innovation to build an integrated science and technology innovation platform that combines technology, platforms, talent, and market capabilities.

The establishment of the “Innovation Hub” will effectively integrate scientific research capabilities from domestic and international hospitals, experts, universities, AI companies, and other stakeholders, along with GE Healthcare’s full-industry-chain resources—particularly in its strong business areas such as ultrasound and life care solutions. By focusing on the customized needs of Chinese users, it will comprehensively accelerate the implementation of innovations.

Wuxi High-Tech Zone and GE Healthcare will also establish an incubation space for medical startups at the Wuxi office, welcoming domestic medical technology enterprises to settle in and leverage GE Healthcare’s Edison ecosystem resources to promote the translation of new technologies, products, and business models within the industry. At the media briefing, we also gained close insights into the innovation development strategy of GE Hangwei.

Dai Ying, Vice President of GE Hangwei and Chief Innovation Officer, stated“GE Healthcare’s initial strategy for establishing its presence in Wuxi was to build an innovation, R&D, and manufacturing base in China. Over the past 25 years, this approach has yielded significant results. We are committed to sustaining our culture of innovation, as it is the core driver for addressing challenges in the healthcare industry.”

“In the past, we spoke of innovation in terms of upstream and downstream, with suppliers as our vendors and us as vendors to our clients; our innovation was conceived as a ‘flow.’ However, with rapid market development, the diversification of diseases, and the increasingly varied demands across China’s healthcare industry, we must reexamine our model of innovation,” he said.

Dai Ying further added, “The concept of the ‘Innovation Center’ we have established in Wuxi is designed to transform unidirectional innovation—from upstream to downstream—into collaborative innovation within an ecosystem. Our supply chain partners can achieve substantial progress alongside us in R&D, manufacturing, and lean practices, enabling the most efficient production, R&D, and manufacturing processes. Our digital team can empower the platform, facilitate multiple iterations with customers, and ensure more effective commercial implementation.”

It is reported that on the day of the signing, Maide Intelligence, Shukun Technology, Shenzhen Fastprint Circuit Tech, and Dewei Smart Technology announced their relocation to the “Innovation Center.” Among them, Maide and Shukun, two AI enterprises, were the first to move in. They will integrate intelligent applications with ultrasound, electrocardiogram (ECG), and anesthesia equipment to advance 5G-enabled intelligent auxiliary diagnostic analysis, thereby empowering the development of smart hospitals.

GE Healthcare’s collaborations with Shennan Circuits and Dewei Smart Technology will focus on technological breakthroughs and innovation in specialized fields, as well as the cultivation of a new generation of engineers. These efforts aim to accelerate the incubation and commercialization of new technologies in medical imaging, establish China as a robust backup hub for medical equipment, and support Chinese enterprises in “going global” to achieve greater prominence on the international stage.

For 25 years, the GE Healthcare Wuxi Base has been a benchmark enterprise in intelligent manufacturing. Since its establishment in 1996, the base’s annual output value has increased 760-fold, generating nearly 170 domestic and international patents. In 2020, it was recognized as the “Jiangsu Provincial Enterprise Technology Center.”

On the day of the event, thanks to the joint efforts of Wuxi High-Tech Zone and GE Healthcare, five new production lines were officially announced to be established at the Wuxi base. These include the Grand Canal series patient monitors B1x5P/B1x5M, Carestation 750 anesthesia workstation, Mac 7 ECG analyzer, Venue Go/Fit clinical color Doppler ultrasound system, and Versana Active R1.5 mobile color Doppler ultrasound system, comprehensively covering both high-end and primary healthcare markets.

GE Healthcare has long maintained a leading edge in the innovative research and development of high-end medical equipment. China’s 14th Five-Year Plan highlights that improving primary healthcare services is a crucial component of achieving rural revitalization, and GE Healthcare China has made unremitting efforts to empower grassroots healthcare.

According to Dai Ying, GE Healthcare China actually established a dedicated primary care business team ten years ago. In the early years, it launched the “Spring Breeze Initiative” to reach grassroots communities. This year, in partnership with People’s Daily Online/People’s Health, it has further initiated the public welfare campaign “A New Journey in Health: Caring for Grassroots Communities.” Leveraging its strengths and expertise in innovative technologies, smart healthcare, talent development, services, and comprehensive solutions, GE Healthcare China collaborates with local governments, industry associations, experts, and both public and private healthcare partners to carry out a series of activities. These include public welfare disease screening and health education initiatives targeted at primary care settings, training programs for primary care physicians, and exchanges on service delivery and technology application.

This project, spanning from 2021 to 2022, plans to hold 180 events across China, with an expected reach of 12,000 primary care physicians. As of October 2021, the initiative had been launched in more than 10 provinces nationwide, inviting over 50 experts from various fields to conduct exchanges, training sessions, and interactive competitions, thereby reaching more than 600 primary care physicians.

“We have recently launched the Grand Canal patient monitor and the Huayue ultrasound diagnostic system. The flexible configuration, comprehensive functionality, and cost-effectiveness of these two products make them powerful tools for improving primary healthcare services and supporting rural revitalization,” he said.

Ms. Meng Fanjie, General Manager of the R&D Department at GE Healthcare Ultrasound China, also mentioned: “Six years ago, GE Hangwei’s Wuxi base established a primary healthcare R&D team, dedicating substantial research and development resources particularly to innovative ultrasound products for primary care settings. Recently, our strategic direction has gradually shifted from developing single products to providing comprehensive solutions. Independently developed and manufactured by the GE Hangwei Wuxi team,”‘Hua’ Series Ultrasound Diagnostic Systems and ‘Grand Canal’ Series Monitoring Equipment, are a series of products specifically designed for primary healthcare institutions to meet the needs of grassroots medical care.”

In the future, GE Healthcare will continue to collaborate with the Wuxi Municipal People’s Government and the High-Tech Industrial Development Zone to refine products and solutions tailored to China’s specific needs, thereby benefiting more Chinese citizens and safeguarding every critical moment of their lives.

As early as 2012, GE Hangwei proposed the slogan “in China, for China”; today, it believes the concept has evolved to “of China, for China.”

Discussing the evolution of its meaning, Dai Ying shared:: “Over the past two decades, China has gradually evolved into the world’s second-largest healthcare market. Therefore, we are committed to prioritizing service to our Chinese customers and the Chinese market, while building a full-industry-chain ecosystem locally in China. A critical step in this endeavor is the upgraded innovation of our localization strategy.”

First, previously, most products developed for the domestic market were economy-oriented. Now, GE Hangwei’s “full localization” strategy entails comprehensive localization across its entire product portfolio and value chain.

Second, while the focus in the past was on building global supply chains, the current goal is to achieve 100% domestic localization of the supply chain, including core components such as ultrasound probes and breathing valves.For example, Versana Active^TMHuayue Portable Whole-Body Application Ultrasound Diagnostic System has achieved this goal, with all components of the product sourced from suppliers within a 200-kilometer radius centered on Wuxi.

Third, digital capabilities comprehensively empower domestic medical devices.The uneven distribution of medical resources in China presents a significant challenge in breaking the current impasse. The development of digital platforms can connect high-quality medical resources with primary healthcare institutions, achieving interoperability. Additionally, artificial intelligence can provide auxiliary diagnostic tools for primary care physicians, thereby enhancing their capabilities.

Regarding the construction plan for the Wuxi base, Dai Ying stated: “The Wuxi base is one of GE Healthcare’s most important R&D, manufacturing, and innovation hubs. In the near future, more innovative products will be manufactured in Wuxi, reflecting the implementation of our comprehensive localization strategy in the city. Furthermore, GE Healthcare China’s digital technologies, such as 5G and artificial intelligence, have already been deployed in hospitals for clinical applications; digital empowerment is a crucial component of our innovation efforts. Meanwhile, the supply chain at GE Healthcare’s Wuxi base will achieve 100% localization, domestic production, and full autonomy as soon as possible to rapidly respond to customer needs.”

Zhang Yihao, President and CEO of GE Hangwei, stated at the event“Since establishing its presence in 1996, GE Healthcare’s Wuxi base has grown from humble beginnings into a large-scale innovation and technology industrial cluster. The growth of the Wuxi production base epitomizes GE Healthcare’s comprehensive localization journey in China. As we enter the 14th Five-Year Plan period, innovation lies at the heart of high-quality development. Therefore, we must broaden our horizons and break down boundaries, empowering our full-localization strategy with digital technologies and fostering win-win collaboration through industry-academia-research-application partnerships. Under the leadership of the Wuxi High-Tech Industrial Development Zone, GE Healthcare will work hand in hand with its partners to center on the needs of Chinese hospitals and patients, introduce more advanced technologies and production lines into China, and help more Chinese enterprises expand globally. We strive to promote the dual-circulation effect—both domestic and international—within Wuxi’s ‘innovation circle,’ thereby supporting the high-quality development of China’s healthcare sector and the Yangtze River Delta industrial chain.”