United Imaging Announces U.S. Market Expansion: Local Team in Place and Houston Factory Set for Completion Next Year

VCBeat (WeChat ID: vcbeat) has learned that on October 19, 2018, Shanghai United Imaging Healthcare Co., Ltd. announced for the first time its latest progress in expanding its presence in the United States: a fully localized core team for marketing and services, with extensive industry experience, has been established. Meanwhile, construction of its wholly-owned factory in Houston has commenced, with completion expected in the second half of next year. These two significant initiatives,This marks United Imaging’s expansion of its local operations in the U.S. to include manufacturing, marketing, and after-sales services, following the establishment of its R&D center there., to further deepen its presence in the U.S. domestic market.

Xue Min, Chairman and CEO of United Imaging Healthcare, stated, “The United States is the world’s largest and most important market for medical equipment. As a global enterprise, United Imaging is committed to providing high-quality products and services to customers in the U.S. and beyond. Over the past five years, we have established three R&D centers in Houston, Cleveland, and Concord, focusing on the development of MR, PET-CT, CT, and RT products, as well as exploring cutting-edge technologies. Currently, we are building a U.S. regional headquarters in Houston that integrates R&D, manufacturing, and marketing, to better serve local customers.”

United Imaging’s U.S. marketing team brings together a number of seasoned industry experts with extensive local experience, serving as the hub for United Imaging’s deep penetration into the local market and close engagement with customers. Among them is Jeffrey Bundy, CEO of United Imaging USA and former Senior Vice President of Global Strategy, Business Development, and Marketing at Siemens Healthineers, who boasts over 20 years of industry experience. Discussing his reasons for joining United Imaging, Jeffrey stated, “United Imaging is a highly dynamic company whose remarkable innovation capabilities, rapid growth, and brand culture deeply attract me. It is truly exhilarating to work alongside such a team and strive together to create greater value for the industry. I firmly believe that our products and services will inject fresh vitality into the U.S. market and the global healthcare industry as a whole.”

United Imaging’s Houston factory is located adjacent to its local R&D center and U.S. marketing team. It is expected that by the second half of 2019, equipment from multiple product lines—including CT, MR, DR, PET-CT, PET/MR, and RT—will gradually achieve localized production. “This will make our innovation chain more flexible, enabling us to serve the local market more efficiently. We will not only provide customers with products and accessories in a timely manner, but also respond proactively to local clinical and research needs, offering more customized products and services,” said Xue Min.

Currently, United Imaging has obtained FDA 510(k) clearance for 14 medical imaging devices spanning its PET-CT, MR, CT, and DR product lines. The first device shipped to the U.S. was recently installed at a customer site in Texas. Meanwhile, United Imaging maintains close collaborations with leading academic and research institutions, including Cornell University, the University of California, Davis, and the University of Washington. Notably, the world’s first total-body dynamic scanning PET-CT system, “Explorer,” co-developed with the Explorer Consortium—a top-tier molecular imaging team in the U.S.—has completed full-system development. Its performance metrics, including axial field of view, sensitivity, and noise-equivalent count rate, fully meet design specifications. The system garnered significant acclaim at this year’s Annual Meeting of the Society of Nuclear Medicine and Molecular Imaging (SNMMI) and the Total-Body PET Symposium in Belgium.

In addition, United Imaging is progressively establishing a global network for R&D, manufacturing, marketing, and services. “Beyond China and the United States, our brand has entered nearly 20 countries and regions, including Japan, Southeast Asia, the Middle East, Europe, Africa, and South America. In the future, United Imaging will more actively engage in global market and industry collaboration, continuously creating value for customers through innovative technologies and services,” said Xue Min.

Shanghai United Imaging Healthcare Co., Ltd. independently develops and manufactures a full line of high-performance medical imaging and radiotherapy equipment, and provides healthcare informatization and intelligent solutions. Established in 2011 with its headquarters in Shanghai, the company has set up subsidiaries and R&D centers in Houston, Cleveland, and Concord in the United States, as well as in Wuhan, Shenzhen, Changzhou, and Guizhou in China.