Behind the factory doors

A more sustainable way of doing business

As part of our journey toward a new, more sustainable way of doing business, last year Philips opened a brand new Healthcare Imaging Systems refurbishment facility in Best, in the south of The Netherlands.

Philips started refurbishing medical equipment back in 1989. The relocation of these services to the main Philips Healthcare location in Best is the next step in our circular economy journey.  Many, many kilometers of cables are selected, inspected, renewed and re-used.

By 2050, approximately 9 billion people will live on the planet. That number will put an enormous strain on available resources – a fact that is driving companies to look at alternative business models, for a future and a business model that doesn’t simply exploit resources.

The circular economic model is based on earth’s natural ecosystems, in which everything is re-used in an efficient and purposeful cycle. Products are designed to be part of a value network, within which the reuse and refurbishment of products, components, and materials ensure the continual recycling of resources.

By connecting refurbishment with the design teams, we can now make sure that newer technologies are made compatible with older system platforms, increasing their compatibility and the lifetimes of the products for more life cycles.

In Best, we refurbish our MRIs, interventional X-ray technologies, surgery and CT equipment. At several locations in the USA, we also refurbish our PET/CT and SPECT scanners, as well as our ultrasound equipment. 

Our Refurbished Systems facility in Best employs more than 100 highly-skilled colleagues and this location is currently responsible for more than half of the global Philips revenue in refurbished equipment.
 

This engineer is inspecting an MR system that recently arrived at the facility. He’s checking for exterior traces of use and damage. 

The new facility has its own paint shop where refurbished systems get a new look and feel, to make them seamlessly fit into our customers’ portfolio of medical solutions.