Facing growing demands for its Varian radiotherapy systems, Siemens Healthineers is investing €25 million (over $26 million) in a second plant at its site in Rudolstadt, Germany that will be used to manufacture electron accelerators.

The electron accelerators produced at the facility will be used for the Halcyon and TrueBeam radiotherapy systems, some of which are manufactured at the company’s Kemnath site in Germany. Siemens Healthineers will also use the 2,100 square-meter facility as an expansion point for its production line of liquid metal plain bearings, another component of high-end CT and angiography systems.

The site currently has around 270 employees developing and producing vacuum components, X-ray tubes, and components for CT, angiography, and mammography scanners. More than 50 additional jobs are expected to open up there by 2027.

"The expansion in Rudolstadt is a strong commitment to the location and the entire region. We want to grow here, create jobs, and remain an attractive employer," says Peter Schardt, chief technology officer of Siemens Healthineers, in a statement.

The second plant will be CO2-neutral and sustainable, according to the company. Production there will aid the Palo Alto site in California, which also makes components for the radiotherapy portfolio, which the company acquired in 2021 through its acquisition of Varian Medical Systems.

The Rudolstadt site, founded in 1919, also manufactures industrial electron linear accelerator systems for nondestructive material testing and scanning to check contents of shipping containers, trucks, and train cars.

The company has invested in several of its German sites for different reasons since the beginning of 2023. In May, it opened a €60 million (about $65 million) education and development center in Erlangen to train its employees and customers on MR, angiography, and photon-counting CT systems among other devices.

That same month, it also invested €80 million (over $85 million) in a new factory in Forchheim, which will produce crystals for semiconductor components used in CT scanners. And in July, it opened an innovation center in Erlangen to foster greater collaborations with clinical and academic partners, companies, and startups for the development of medical applications.

Production at the new Rudolstadt plant will commence in mid-2024.

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