Planning for the future in the past

Today, it’s impossible to imagine a physician’s practice or a hospital without medical technology. In the early 20th century, however, purchasing an immersion battery or even an entire X-ray system was an entirely new idea and required very careful consideration. Physicians had to ask themselves: Can I afford this device? Do I have enough patients who I can examine or treat with this machine? Will I be able to use this modern technology correctly? Our predecessor companies therefore came up with a number of ideas to make the decision easier and to help bring medical technology into practices. 

So that physicians didn’t have to buy a device that they would only need for a short time to perform a particular therapy or diagnosis, Reiniger, Gebbert & Schall (RGS) printed the following offer for customers in its 1888 catalogue: 

For a long time, purchasing a magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) scanner presented very different challenges. For instance, the average MRI scanner is the size of a minibus and weighs several tons. This means it cannot fit through a conventional door, and extensive construction work must be carried out before it can be installed. The MAGNETOM Free.Max scanner from 2021 and the MAGNETOM Free.Star scanner from 2022 are the smallest and lightest MRI systems that Siemens Healthineers has ever built. The devices can fit through a conventional hospital door, and with reduced energy and helium consumption, they also have comparatively low operating costs. Artificial intelligence makes it easier to operate the scanners, so even staff with less experience can use them. In cases where there is no hospital in which to install an imaging system, creative solutions are called for: MAGNETOM Free.Star, for instance, is also available as a turnkey solution in a container. This makes it possible to offer MR services independently of the building’s structure. 

In cases where there is no hospital in which to install an imaging system, creative solutions are called for: MAGNETOM Free.Star, for instance, is also available as a turnkey solution in a container. This makes it possible to offer MR services independently of the building’s structure. 

Our products have always been of a very high quality and durability. To demonstrate, let’s look at the peculiar story of two X-ray Spheres from 1935. The spheres belonged to the Swedish Red Cross and were being used in Africa when they fell victim to looters, who threw them away as they fled. The two spheres were left lying in marshland for weeks during the rainy season before being recovered and ultimately finding their way back to their original owner. The spheres were dirty and dented and “didn’t look as good as they should for a piece of apparatus in a physician’s examination room,” but a thorough inspection by Siemens-Reiniger-Werke revealed that they were still in full working order and safe to use!

At some point, however, products may need to be replaced. The medical technology division of Siemens therefore began offering a special global service in 2000, offering to take back used systems. If the device is still in good condition, it is cleaned, fitted with new components, and equipped with the latest software. After being refurbished, the devices are tested according to the same strict quality standards used for new systems, and then sold again. The work of the Refurbished Systems division kills two birds with one stone: First, the refurbished medical systems cost less than new equipment, allowing, for instance, developing and emerging countries to acquire high-quality and tested imaging systems. Second, refurbishing old equipment reduces the number of components that have to be disposed of.

Manufacturing goods always uses raw materials and can produce pollutants. Some parts of the production chain pose a particularly large number of environmental risks. One such area is electroplating, a method of surface treatment that is an important part of the production process in a metalworking plant. After RGS moved into the factory in 1893, the company spent decades grinding, polishing, and electroplating its products in the basement of the red-brick building. The acids and lyes present in the electroplating baths obviously posed risks to the environment and to people’s health. Even in the early days, steps were taken to limit the health risks from hazards such as chemical vapors: “It didn’t matter if it was snowing or there was a storm raging, we had to go out into the courtyard for 20 minutes every two hours to get some fresh air,” says Theresia Güthlein, recalling her time working in the electroplating workshop in the late 1940s.  

The key to a company’s success are the people who work there. The founders of our predecessor companies knew this, and from the outset offered their employees opportunities to reach their full potential and develop their talents. One example is the story of William Niendorf, who worked his way up from assistant mechanic to member of the board.

With his hand-crafted dental drill, Niendorf laid an important foundation both for the development of dentistry tools in Germany, and for his own career. His diligent work and his propensity for perfection allowed him to quickly move up in the company. He became foreman, head of the Erlangen factory, member of the board, and later member of the supervisory board. He also played a major role in the merger between RGS and Siemens & Halske to form Siemens-Reiniger-Werke. 

For a long time, women were not expected to have the kind of career progression that went from assistant mechanic to member of the board. Although female employees played a key role in the company from an early stage, they primarily worked in manufacturing or commercial roles until the 1970s. Thanks to women’s hard work, manufacturing was able to continue even in highly challenging times such as the two World Wars, and this allowed the company to survive. Nevertheless, women were absent from leadership roles for a long time — except for Marie Busch, whose career was a remarkable deviation from the norm. 

Busch’s career path is no longer an exception. In 2023, women held 25 percent of all leadership positions. Every Healthineer has the opportunity to develop their talents and progress through their chosen career — regardless of their gender or where they come from. Siemens Healthineers promotes an inclusive culture, in which everyone is free to reach their full potential.