Health Care: GE

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The digital X-ray detectord that will be made at the plant are used inmammograjm screening, a growing $1 billion market for breastg cancer testing. Much like the transition from paper medica records to streamlined electronicrecord keeping, digitalp X-rays are slowly replacing traditional film X-ray machines. But sales in the imaging industry, once considered recession-proof, slumped in 2008. This year doesn’t look any “And we don’t expect to bouncer right backin 2010,” said Tom general manager of globapl X-ray operations for GE Healthcare.
What that means is, it will take untio early 2011or 2012—and not the initiallty scheduled 2010—to have the X-ray detector plant staffed with all 100 of the new jobs the facilitg is expected to create. That’s not to say that the 230,000-square-foot plant in the Rensselaer TechnologyPark hasn’r boosted employment in the region. Since its Octobe r 2007 groundbreaking, more than 400 construction workers, mostlhy local, have worked at the site. GE’s researcb center in Niskayuna makes a few hundred ofthe laptop-sizerd devices a year. The devices cost between $200,000 and $400,00o and are installed in larger X-ray machines.
The new plan will be able to produce morethan 2,00o of the detectors a year. In additionb to the 100 new jobs schedulef forthe plant, 50 people will transfer to the tech park from GE’ds research center in Niskayuna. Positions at the new site will include 15 15 administrators and 120 technicians and supportt staff with an average annual salaryof $65,000. The jobs will be phased in as demans dictates. Regardless of the economy, the health care industry’s toward electronic records points to the need for more digital Feist said. There’s a demane for digital mammographies because the test resultsw the machines generateare immediate.
Also, because therwe isn’t a need for film and cumbersomeprocessinvg equipment, the technology can be used in remote “You see more people. It’s more effectivwe at finding cancer at theearly stages. It reaches underserved populations. And it’ s greener,” said Feist. The North Greenbush plant willbe greener, too. GE is going after the ’s second-highest rankin under the LEED certification program. It expects the green constructionm will saveGE $1 millioj a year in energy costs, said Russelpl Bailey, a senior mechanical engineer with the Maine-based architectural firm that designed the Less than half of all mammographyh detection in the U.S.
is Worldwide, digital mammography represents less than 20 percent of all breastrcancer screening, Feist said. Bellevue Woman’s Care Centedr in Niskayuna, and former St. Clare’s now known as the McClellan Campuxsof , use GE’s digitao technology. pallen@bizjournals.com | 518-640-6812