Ontario pumps $2.5 million into epoc technology

OTTAWA – The Ontario government is investing $2.5 million in Siemens Healthineers through the Ontario Together Fund. The investment will help increase production capacity of the epoc Blood Analysis System, a handheld device that can analyze blood gas levels, helping clinicians make faster decisions with lab-quality results at the patient’s side.

The project is expected to create 93 jobs over five years. To scale up their production capacity, Siemens Healthineers is investing over $20 million into their Ottawa facilities to increase their manufacturing output.

Siemens Healthineers is a leading life sciences company and a global market leader in diagnostic imaging and services. After a highly competitive international bidding process, Siemens Healthineers selected Ottawa and Ontario as the location to increase the production capacity of the epoc Blood Analysis System, making a significant investment of $20 million into their Ottawa facilities.

Ontario’s investment in Siemens Healthineers through the renewed Ontario Together Fund is exemplary of the Fund’s new strategic pillars. This investment will help Siemens Healthineers to increase their domestic manufacturing capacity of the epoc Test Card used in the Blood Analysis System. The company will add two manufacturing lines and packaging automation and make 2.4 million cards per month. This is a 125 percent increase in production capacity.

“We are very grateful to have received the Ontario Together Fund for our Point of Care business in Ottawa,” said Mathias Ganzmann (pictured), vice president, site operations, Siemens Healthineers. “This funding will help us with our expansion plans over the coming years as we add more manufacturing capacity. This is a boost for our Ottawa employees and our work in supporting the healthcare sector and all the frontline workers doing such important work in Ontario.”

The handheld wireless device is used at a patient’s bedside – for example, for someone on a ventilator – to measure their blood gas parameters, including oxygen, carbon dioxide and pH levels, and their lung functioning.

Doctors often use blood gas tests in emergency situations to help diagnose the cause of breathing difficulty. COVID-19 impacts oxygen levels in blood, and some reports indicate that patients who suffer even small drops in levels are at a heightened risk. The system streamlines testing times, which is particularly critical for caregivers overwhelmed during the pandemic. Clinicians can use the system to make faster decisions with lab-quality, real-time results in less than a minute.