Siemens celebrates €350m Forchheim site expansion with topping-out ceremony
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Siemens Healthineers and general contractor PORR celebrated the topping-out ceremony for the High Energy Photonics (HEP) Center in Forchheim, Germany. The ceremony with employees and invited guests took place in the shell of the new building. In the future, Siemens Healthineers will bundle the production, research and development as well as the logistics of X-ray tubes and generators here. These components are the main components of modern computed tomography, angiography and X-ray systems. The new factory will be fully digitally connected and will have highly automated equipment that will help reduce production costs, increase product quality and provide sufficient capacity for further growth in the future. A specially developed energy concept was designed to enable almost CO2-neutral operation of the building complex. The HEP Center is scheduled to go into operation at the end of 2023 and offer space for around 700 workplaces.
“Since the opening of our first factory for computed tomography in 1986, we have continuously developed the high-tech site in Forchheim and successfully expanded it into a global medical technology competence centre. With the High Energy Photonics Center, we are now creating one of the most modern and sustainable facilities for the development and production of medical technology components in Europe and beyond. As a global company, this milestone in our history also underlines our commitment to Germany and Bavaria as a technology centre,” said Bernd Montag, CEO of Siemens Healthineers.
When planning and developing the 57,000 square metre building, Siemens Healthineers focused on a sustainable life cycle of the buildings. The new building should be able to be operated almost CO2-neutral. Since the production processes require a lot of energy and cooling, Siemens Healthineers developed an energy concept that, for example, uses waste heat from the production processes and recovers part of the heat energy. Photovoltaic systems on the roof with a yield of about 1.5 GWh/a, which corresponds to the electricity requirements of 300 households with 4 people per year, highly efficient heat pumps and the purchase of green electricity for the remaining demand should reduce CO2 emissions to almost zero. Regional and recyclable building materials also reduce pollutant emissions by shortening transport routes. The design of the outdoor facilities with native plants and bright surfaces promotes biodiversity and reduces heat radiation. Natural materials in the interior, external sun protection and intelligent building technology ensure comfort for employees at any time of the year.
Siemens Healthineers implements state-ofthe-art Industry 4.0 standards in the planning, construction and equipment of the factory. For example, the entire plant and its processes were mapped in detail in a so-called digital twin during the planning phase. Entire production lines and production processes were optimized in simulations before any construction was done. This increases the efficiency of the plant while also saving time and money.
In addition, the HEP Center will be the first Siemens Healthineers factory with a complete end-to-end digitalization approach that will be implemented throughout the entire product life cycle. All production steps are connected and mapped via software and can be coordinated with each other. For example, the development department creates a digital twin of products. This data flows directly into production and is further processed there. This increases cost efficiency, quality and transparency, optimizing the entire manufacturing process.
