Siemens Healthineers Completes PET Detector Manufacturing Expansion Project in Tennessee, USA

Siemens Healthineers recently completed the expansion and renovation project of its PET detector center in Rockford, Tennessee, USA, with a total investment of $43.6 million. The project aims to enhance PET detector manufacturing capacity to meet the growing demand for PET/CT scanning equipment.

The project added 40,000 square feet of building area to the existing 97,000-square-foot campus and renovated 7,500 square feet of existing space. The Rockford facility is Siemens Healthineers' only manufacturing site globally for producing PET detectors used in its PET/CT systems. The expansion includes 36,000 square feet of dedicated manufacturing space and a 4,000-square-foot expansion of R&D facilities; meanwhile, the company also renovated portions of the existing detector manufacturing and engineering buildings to increase production capacity. The 50,000-square-foot crystal manufacturing facility on campus was not included in the scope of this project.

Siemens Healthineers stated that the added capacity will support the growing application demand for radiopharmaceuticals in areas such as integrated cancer diagnosis and treatment, Alzheimer's disease assessment, and cardiac imaging, and will also serve the launch of its next-generation PET/CT product line in the US and international markets.

PET detectors are used to capture gamma ray signals emitted by radiopharmaceuticals within the patient's body. PET/CT systems use these signals to generate images that help clinicians assess metabolic activity and observe disease conditions.

The company expects the project to add more than 90 manufacturing, R&D, and management positions to the Rockford area over the next five years. Currently, the campus has more than 200 employees. The project also received a $930,000 FastTrack economic development grant from the Tennessee Department of Economic and Community Development, which can be used to offset costs related to property acquisition, construction, and building renovation.

The expansion also introduced electrically driven equipment to replace gas systems, along with LED lighting and 12 electric vehicle charging stations. Siemens Healthineers stated that it collaborated with the Tennessee Valley Authority during the project to improve energy efficiency on campus. The expansion work was primarily concentrated in the Dunavant Drive area of the Rockford campus, which houses detector manufacturing and R&D functions.