German Chancellor Olaf Scholz visits Siemens Healthineers

On Monday, July 8, German Chancellor Olaf Scholz visited Siemens Healthineers AG in Erlangen to talk with employees and learn more about the latest innovations in medical technology.

He was welcomed at the magnetic resonance (MR) factory by members of the executive board and works council and saw the production of MR scanners. The latest generation of scanners is particularly special, requiring less than a liter of helium to cool the magnet, down from 1,500 liters previously. This not only makes them more sustainable, it makes them easier to install.

In the new education center, Scholz was shown how artificial intelligence can support clinical workflows and how new technologies help personalize healthcare and make it more precise. For example, Siemens Healthineers is the only company to offer photon-counting computed tomography scanners that can produce sharper images with a reduced X-ray dose.

At a special works council meeting held in the canteen, the chancellor spoke to employees and answered their questions. Chief Executive Bernd Montag emphasized the importance of the German healthcare industry as one of the pillars of the economy and in creating jobs, with over a million people employed in Germany. Siemens Healthineers, as part of this industry, has invested more than €650 million in its German sites over the past years.