2015 Issue

10 J ANUARY 2014, VARIAN Medical Systems, along with the Governor’s Office of Economic Development jointly announced that Varian will be expanding its existing Salt Lake City operation; a move that Varian estimates will lead to the creation of 1,000 new full-time jobs over the next 15 years. The press release quoted Governor Herbert of Utah stating, “The continued expansion of Varian Medical will help to elevate Utah’s recognition around the world as a leader in R&D and manufactur- ing of medical products”. It also mentioned that the expansion will add 120,000 square feet to the existing 341,000 square-foot building, creating additional space for Varian’s flat panel image detector and X-ray tube product lines which will include clean rooms, R&D laboratories, expanded manufacturing space and administrative offices. The construction is well underway with expected completion by the end of 2015. …..picture of construction (DSC 1947) This is good news to the Utah engineering community. It’s expected that new engineering positions will be opened within the next few years. At present, the company employs over 80 engineers and technicians in the Utah facility. Varian is currently the largest independent global supplier of X-ray tubes and flat panel detectors. They have over 60 years of combined By John E Richardson PE