Siemens Healthineers completes US$43.6M PET detector center expansion in Tennessee
The expanded facility will allow Siemens Healthineers to increase production of its PET detector technology and respond to growing demand from healthcare providers.
USA—Siemens Healthineers Molecular Imaging has completed a US$43.6 million construction and renovation project at its PET (positron emission tomography) Detector Center in Rockford, Tennessee, United States.
The expansion is designed to increase manufacturing capacity as demand for PET/computed tomography (PET/CT) imaging continues to grow worldwide.
The project added 40,000 square feet to the existing 97,000-square-foot campus and renovated another 7,500 square feet.
The Rockford site is the company’s only manufacturing facility worldwide for PET detectors, which form a critical component of Siemens Healthineers PET/CT scanners.
Expanding PET detector production
The expanded facility will allow Siemens Healthineers to increase production of its PET detector technology and respond to growing demand from healthcare providers.
The company said demand is being driven by the wider clinical use of radiopharmaceuticals in cancer theranostics, neurology applications such as Alzheimer’s disease evaluation, and cardiac imaging.
The additional production capacity will also support the introduction of new PET/CT product lines in the United States and international markets.
PET detectors capture gamma rays released after a patient receives a radiopharmaceutical.
PET/CT scanners process these signals to produce images that enable clinicians to assess metabolic activity and to identify and monitor diseases, including cancer, cardiac conditions, and Alzheimer’s disease.
New manufacturing and R&D space
The Rockford PET Detector Center comprises two buildings on Dunavant Drive and another facility on Stock Creek Boulevard.
The latest project focused on the Dunavant Drive portion of the campus.
The development added 36,000 square feet of dedicated manufacturing space and renovated 7,500 square feet within the existing 26,000-square-foot PET detector manufacturing and engineering facility.
The company also expanded its 21,000-square-foot research and development facility by 4,000 square feet.
The project did not include the 50,000-square-foot crystal manufacturing facility on Stock Creek Boulevard.
Siemens Healthineers expects the expansion to create more than 90 manufacturing, research and development, and management positions in the Rockford area over the next five years.
More than 200 people currently work at the Rockford campus.
State support and sustainability
The Tennessee Department of Economic and Community Development supported the project with a US$930,000 FastTrack Economic Development Grant.
The funding can help cover eligible costs associated with property acquisition, new construction, and building renovations.
“This ambitious expansion and renovation of our Rockford PET Detector Center demonstrates our ongoing commitment to being global leaders in PET/CT technology,” said James Williams, head of Siemens Healthineers Molecular Imaging.
The project also incorporates several sustainability measures.
These include carbon-neutral equipment powered by electricity instead of gas, LED lighting throughout the interior, and 12 electric vehicle charging stations.
Siemens Healthineers also worked with the Tennessee Valley Authority to improve the expanded campus’s energy efficiency.
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