Rep. Meehan Cuts Ribbon on Siemens' Second U.S. Ultrasound Factory

Rep. Patrick Meehan (R-Pa.) — a proponent of ending the medical device tax — was on hand to help open Siemens' second U.S. ultrasound factory, which is located in his district. The new 12,000-square-foot facility was built in the Philadelphia suburb of Plymouth Meeting. It will manufacture the ACUSON Freestyle ultrasound system with wireless transducers and employ somewhere under 25 people. Siemens' other U.S. ultrasound factory is located in Buffalo Grove, Ill., and assembles the Siemens’ ACUSON S Family™ of ultrasound systems. “Siemens is proud to bring high-end, specialized manufacturing to the Philadelphia area through the production of the ACUSON Freestyle ultrasound system,” said Jeffrey Bundy, PhD, CEO, Siemens Ultrasound, in a press release. Rep. Meehan got the honor of cutting the ribbon on the factory and was then given a tour of the facility. He also spoke at the opening, along with Bundy and Gregory Sorensen, M.D., president and CEO of Siemens Healthcare North America. According to Rep. Meehan's Twitter feed, he spoke about the importance of ending the medical device tax, which impacts companies like Siemens. In 2012, the Siemens political action committee (PAC) gave $6,000 to support Rep. Meehan, according to OpenSecrets.org. Only seven other representatives got the same or more from the Siemens PAC last year. This select group included his fellow Pennsylvania representatives Allyson Schwartz (D) and Joe Pitts (R).U.S. Rep. Patrick Meehan of Pennsylvania’s 7th Congressional District cuts the ceremonial ribbon at the April 29 grand opening of the new Siemens Healthcare ultrasound factory in Plymouth Meeting, Pa. Siemens executives on hand for the event include (from left) Siemens Healthcare North America President and CEO Gregory Sorensen, MD; Siemens Ultrasound CEO Jeffrey Bundy; and Siemens VP and General Manager, Point of Care Solutions, Michael Cannon. Photo courtesy of Siemens Healthcare.