Beijing, CHINA – July 26, 2007 – Varian Medical Systems (NYSE:VAR), the world’s leading supplier of radiotherapy products for treating cancer, will celebrate the grand opening and inauguration of a new manufacturing plant in China on July 28. The new plant, situated in the Beijing Economic Technical Development Area (BDA) will produce linear accelerators for the treatment of cancer patients in China. The project, which took fourteen months to complete, received significant support from the municipal government of Beijing, as well as the BDA.
“With this grand opening we are celebrating a great opportunity to offer more cancer treatment centers products and technology for advanced radiotherapy," said Varian President and CEO Tim Guertin. Mr. Guertin will host the celebration together with Dow Wilson, president of Varian’s Oncology Systems business and Wang Xiao Yun, managing director of Varian Medical Systems Beijing Co., Ltd. Other expected guests include officials from Beijing’s municipal government and the Beijing Economic-Technological Development area, the chairman of the American Chamber of Commerce, and nearly 100 customers and other partners from Beijing and other parts of the country.
Varian will initially use the Beijing manufacturing facility and team to produce the Clinac® CX, a medical linear accelerator designed to meet the specifications of cancer treatment centers in China. In addition, the company is planning to add an X-ray service facility incorporating X-ray tube assembly in support of its expanding OEM and service business. Varian is the world's premier independent supplier of X-ray tubes for advanced diagnostic applications including CT scanning, radiography, and mammography.
“Our new factory in Beijing is a world-class facility designed to comply with China’s regulatory requirements and Varian’s quality standards," said Mr. Wang. “Varian will use the facility to continuously develop and introduce advanced radiation therapy technologies and products. Our mission is to offer cancer treatment centers the most advanced technology for helping their patients, along with unmatched product reliability and service," he added.
“We’ve been able to recruit and hire excellent personnel in Beijing, and local government officials have been helpful and efficient. These have been significant factors that made it possible for us to get this venture off the ground," Mr. Guertin remarked. “Beijing offered us an outstanding environment for this investment. We believe that the new factory represents a win-win opportunity for Varian and for the city of Beijing, and that it will contribute to the city’s future economic development, especially in the medical equipment industry."
The new factory adds capacity complementary to Varian's principal manufacturing site in Palo Alto, and positions the company to meet increasing global demand for its medical linear accelerators. It consists of an office building, as well as an advanced manufacturing facility built in strict accordance with the company’s global design, construction, and quality standards. It is a multifunctional facility housing manufacturing, marketing, sales, service, sourcing, engineering, and customer education and training.
Varian management will open the celebration with a press conference at the facility beginning at 10 a.m. on July 28. An opening ceremony is scheduled for 10:30 a.m., followed by a factory tour, lunch, and educational seminar. Interested members of the press are invited to contact Yi Qiang at +8785 8785 (or via e-mail: varian.china@varian.com) to arrange to attend or to schedule an interview with Varian executives.