Siemens Healthineers set to open Oxford production site for MRI cooling technology
Siemens Healthineers has begun work on a new facility in north Oxfordshire that will design and manufacture superconducting magnets used in healthcare facilities globally for MRI patient scans. With an investment of £250 million, the site will be home to novel technology that minimises the use of helium, making scanners lighter, easier to install and more sustainable.
Construction has begun on the 56,000m2 site, which will be the UK’s first major production site for so-called DryCool technology, which reduces the amount of helium required in an MRI scanner from 1,500 litres to less than a single litre. The new facility, which will be operationally carbon-neutral, will provide a range of financial, infrastructure and environmental benefits to the local economy from its planned opening in 2026, underlining the company’s decades-long commitment to manufacturing in the Oxford area.
Prime Minister Rishi Sunak said: “I am delighted Siemens Healthineers has chosen Oxfordshire for its new facility, supporting over 1,300 skilled jobs in the area, and reinforcing the region’s status as a vanguard in healthcare and R&D. But as well as the incredible local benefits this will bring, this cutting-edge facility also presents an opportunity to enhance patient care globally, which means British innovation is saving lives around the world.”
Chief executive of Siemens Healthineers Bernd Montag added: “MRI technology plays a vital role in diagnosing disease, helping patients to get healthy and stay healthy. As a world leader in medical imaging, we are very proud to open the next chapter of our history here in Oxford. This factory will be the global centre for our innovative low-helium magnet technology, meaning we consume far less of a scarce natural resource and enable access to MRIs for many more patients.”
The new factory will include a research and development hub for new technologies such as designing and manufacturing some of the world’s smallest and most lightweight whole body scanners.
As one of six current and future Siemens Healthineers manufacturing sites in the UK, this facility is set to support more than 1,300 jobs when fully operational, including the retention of over 600 Oxfordshire-based jobs currently at an existing facility in Eynsham. Many of the roles are for highly skilled workers such as physicists, engineers, technicians and specialised support staff. These are in addition to workers who will be employed during the construction. The phased transition is estimated to be completed by 2030, subject to variable demand for the products developed at the site.
With support from developer Tritax Symmetry, the building is designed to be carbon-neutral in operation, with careful consideration for the community and environment, and strategies aimed at reducing energy demand and increasing health and wellbeing.
Lead picture: MP for Witney and West Oxfordshire Robert Courts, Prime Minister Rishi Sunak and Ghada Trotabas tour the magnet technology factory in Oxford. Image courtesy of Simon Dawson/10 Downing Street.
Published on page 21 of the June 2024 issue of RAD Magazine.
