GE Healthcare, a unit of the General Electric Company has invested $37.5 million to extend its production facility in Shanghai in order to meet increasing customer demand for its products in China and as well as throughout the globe.

The GE Healthcare plant in Shanghai is currently undergoing a review process to be the first US FDA approved site for contrast media in China. Upon approval, the GE Healthcare Shanghai plant will be able to supply product beyond China to the US as well as numerous markets throughout the world, said a GE release.

According to the release, the Shanghai plant already plays a critical role in the company's global contrast media supply chain (CMSC). However, over the next five years the demand for contrast media in China alone is expected to grow in double digits. In order to meet this increased demand the company is making provisions today for an increase in production capacity.

Today, the Shanghai facility manufactures close to five million units of GE Healthcare's X-Ray and magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) products; Visipaque, Omnipaque and Omniscan. This investment will involve the expansion of the facility over the next two years to increase production capacity to 15 million units.

The development of the plant is designed to be scalable with future expansion in mind to be capable of manufacturing up to 30 million units annually. The proposed investment adds mixing and preparation, filling, sterilisation, inspection, packaging, and associated utility equipment, and expands the on-site storage capability for materials and product, added the release.