Siemens Healthineers Starts Construction on £250M Oxford Facility

Siemens Healthineers has announced a new facility in North Oxfordshire that will design and manufacture superconducting magnets that are used in healthcare facilities globally for MRI patient scans. 
 
Construction has begun on the 56,000m2 site, creating more than 1,300 skilled jobs. The company has invested £250 million ($314 million) into the site. 
 
This will be the UK’s first major production site for Siemens Healthineers’ new DryCool technology, which reduces the amount of helium required in an MRI scanner from 1,500 liters to under a single liter. The new facility will be operationally carbon-neutral and will provide a range of financial, infrastructure, and environmental benefits to the local economy. 
 
The facility is planned to open in 2026. It will include a research and development hub responsible for new technologies such as designing and manufacturing some of the world’s smallest and most lightweight whole-body scanners.
 
“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,” Siemens Healthineers chief executive, Bernd Montag told the press. “This factory will be the global center 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.”
 
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.”
 
This new facility is one of six planned Siemens Healthineers manufacturing sites in the UK. It will support over 1,300 jobs once fully operational, including the retention of over 600 Oxfordshire- jobs currently based at an existing facility in Eynsham. Roles include physicists, engineers, technicians, and specialized support staff, in addition to workers who will be employed during the site’s construction.