Recently, GE Healthcare launched its first CT production line in France, marking a significant expansion of the company's business at its Booker factory in the Yvelines department of France.
It is reported that the new production line was announced in 2023 with the aim of improving the company's agility, reducing carbon emissions, and better serving European customers. At present, the first scanner assembled in France, the Revolution Maxima CT, has been installed in the emergency department of Montargis Hospital Center in Loiret.

The assembly of Revolution Maxima CT at Buc factory includes all functions and X-ray testing, system configuration, and direct delivery to European customers, which helps simplify the supply chain.

It is understood that the new production line is part of GE Healthcare's "In Europe for Europe" program, which is expected to reduce carbon emissions related to scanner transportation in Europe by 84%. This reduction is mainly due to the integration of production processes and a preference for land and rail transportation over air transportation.

The greenhouse gas emission reduction targets of GE Healthcare have been validated by the Scientific Carbon Target Initiative (SBTi). The company's mid-term goal is to reduce operational emissions (Scope 1 and 2) by 42% by 2030, and to reduce Scope 3 emissions from purchased goods and services, upstream transportation and distribution, business travel, and the use of sold products by 25% compared to the 2022 baseline, achieving net zero emissions by 2050.

This new production line aims to adjust our supply chain to better meet the needs of healthcare professionals in Europe while reducing our carbon emissions, "said Jean Philippe Bousquel, General Manager of International Imaging at GE Healthcare." France is an important country for GE Healthcare because we have established many collaborations with clinical doctors, research centers, and small and medium-sized enterprises. We are proud to strengthen our influence at Buc

At CHAM, the newly installed scanner will help meet the demands of the busy emergency department, which receives 60000 visits annually.

01. The Development History of CT in GE Healthcare
As a leader in the CT industry, from the launch of the world's first CT prototype by EMI in 1969 (the medical related production line of the first CT inventor was acquired by GE), to GE's first body rapid scanning CT, and then to the world's first 64 row CT, GE has created miracles over the course of more than 50 years of development.

With continuous breakthroughs in medical research, the pace of GE Medical CT technology innovation is also accelerating.

LightSpeed QX/I CT system launched
In 1998, the new LightSpeed QX/I CT system was introduced, which was the world's first scanner that allowed doctors to simultaneously observe multiple images at a speed six times faster than traditional instruments, opening the door to dynamic organ "heart part" imaging. This system saved valuable time for critically ill patients, especially those in critical condition.

Fully digital X-ray mammography
In 1999, another major breakthrough in GE Medical imaging technology was functional anatomical localization. This technology helps physicians more accurately locate diseases. One year later, GE Healthcare developed a fully digital mammography with improved clarity once again.

The world's first 64 row CT
In 2006, GE Healthcare's Discovery CT was launched, which was the world's first 64 slice CT. It revolutionized the use of gemstone detectors, leading an innovation in a series of CT imaging chain core technologies including tubes, high-voltage generators, detectors, imaging principles, reconstruction algorithms, etc. It achieved spectral imaging for the first time, and CT entered a new era of human body composition analysis.

The first free heart rate 128 slice CT
CT 680 is the industry's first 128 slice CT with free heart rate, and the breakthrough free heart rate coronary examination CT launched by GE Healthcare for the first time. The scanning speed is extremely fast, it can scan an organ in 1 second, the heart in 5 seconds, and the whole body in 10 seconds. And it has excellent observation and diagnostic effects on fine anatomical structures and lesions; It has a success rate of nearly 100% for non-invasive cardiac examinations, and can achieve complete consistency in image quality and coverage, obtaining high-resolution images of various parts of the body.

Revolution Ultra High End CT Released
The GE 256 Row Revolution CT is known as the "revolutionary CT" and the "carrier of the CT industry", integrating top technology in the CT field to create a new industry model for CT coverage range, speed, image quality, radiation dose, energy spectrum, and scanning comfort. Its technical features are excellent, with a 16cm high-definition gemstone detector that can easily cover single organs such as the heart, brain, and liver; 29ms time resolution, under any heart rate and rhythm conditions, one cardiac cycle can obtain coronary anatomical information, plaque composition information, 4D cardiac motion information, cardiac function information, and myocardial perfusion information of the heart; With a spatial resolution of 0.23mm, details of the human body can be clearly seen; By reducing X-ray dose by 82% and contrast agent dosage by 50%, it has established new standards for imaging and low-dose screening of cardiovascular, neurological, oncology, respiratory, urinary, and orthopedic diseases, significantly improving medical efficiency and patient experience. It can effectively assist doctors in accurate diagnosis and addressing major disease challenges.

Deep Silicon Detector Photon Counting CT
When photon counting CT is considered the future direction of CT development, GE Healthcare is not willing to fall behind. GE's photon counting CT technology is the world's first photon counting CT technology that uses deep silicon detectors.

In 2020, GE Healthcare acquired Swedish company Prismatic sensors AB, which has deep silicon detector technology. In November 2021, GE announced that its photon counting CT technology had recently launched its first large-scale clinical trial. It is reported that this detector can provide excellent spatial resolution without affecting counting rate or spectral resolution, tapping into the full potential of photon counting CT.

03. Competitive landscape of the French CT market
The medical imaging equipment industry is the segmented market with the highest technological barriers in the medical device industry. From the research and development of core components to the production and assembly of complete equipment, long-term technological accumulation is required.

Among them, CT, as one of the most common medical imaging devices in clinical applications, plays an important role in medical diagnosis. It has the characteristics of fast scanning time and clear images, and can be used for the examination of various diseases. It has been widely configured in hospitals around the world. From the perspective of the global market, the CT market in developed countries in Europe and America has entered a relatively mature stage, with the main growth drivers of the global CT market coming from the Asia Pacific region.

Taking the French market as an example, the current development of CT shows a trend of technological progress driving market upgrading and technological innovation promoting application expansion. At the same time, its market demand is also influenced by multiple factors such as population aging and medical insurance policies.

Technological progress drives market upgrading
With the continuous advancement of medical technology, the demand for high-end CT equipment with higher resolution, faster scanning speed, and lower radiation dose in French medical institutions is gradually increasing. For example, CT equipment that can achieve more precise cardiac imaging is favored by cardiovascular specialty hospitals and large comprehensive hospitals because it helps to diagnose cardiovascular diseases more accurately and improve treatment effectiveness.

The market share of CT equipment with advanced functions such as spectral imaging is gradually expanding. This technology has unique advantages in tumor diagnosis and differential diagnosis, which can provide doctors with more information about diseased tissues and optimize treatment plans.

Technological innovation promotes application expansion
In recent years, the application of CT technology in cardiovascular diseases, tumor diseases, and neurological diseases has been continuously expanding. In terms of cardiovascular disease, CT angiography (CTA) technology has become one of the important means for diagnosing coronary artery disease. It can clearly display the morphology and lesion of coronary arteries, providing accurate guidance for subsequent interventional treatment.

In the field of tumor diseases, CT is not only used for early detection and diagnosis of tumors, but also plays an important role in tumor staging, treatment efficacy evaluation, and other aspects. For example, regular CT scans can monitor changes in the condition of cancer patients during treatment and adjust treatment plans in a timely manner.

Market demand is influenced by multiple factors
At present, the aging of the French population is increasingly serious, and the proportion of the elderly population is rising. Older people are more prone to various chronic diseases, such as cardiovascular disease, tumor disease, and bone disease, which often require CT scans for diagnosis and monitoring. Therefore, population aging is one of the important factors driving the growth of demand in the French CT market.

Meanwhile, France's healthcare policies have a significant impact on the development of the CT market. The government strictly regulates the procurement and use of medical equipment, including quality standards, price control, and scope of use. These policies aim to ensure the rational allocation of medical resources and the medical safety of patients.

It should be pointed out that the competitive landscape of the French CT market has gradually formed, and the international brand market competition is fierce. Currently, internationally renowned brands such as GE Healthcare, Siemens, Philips, etc. dominate the CT market in France. These brands have won widespread trust from French medical institutions with their advanced technology, reliable quality, and comprehensive after-sales service system.

But the competition between brands is also very fierce, and companies need to constantly introduce new products and technologies to increase market share. If GE Healthcare opens a CT production line in France, it can not only better meet the needs of the French domestic market, but also enhance its competitiveness in the European market; Siemens has strong competitiveness in the high-end CT market with its exquisite technology and innovative solutions; Philips has also gained a foothold in the market by continuously optimizing product design and improving user experience.

Source: http://qixieke.com/Font/index/detailPage.html?id=3225-19