Liu Jie, vice-president of Carestream Health Inc and president of Carestream's Greater China Cluster [Photo provided to China Daily]

The United States-based medical equipment provider Carestream Health Inc has invested more than $1 billion into the Chinese market since 1993, the year when it entered the Jinqiao Economic and Technological Development Zone in Pudong New Area, Shanghai, according to Liu Jie, vice-president of Carestream.

The group has built its manufacturing plant, regional headquarters and global research and development (R&D) center in Jinqiao, and a complete industrial chain including R&D, production, marketing, sales and after sales has taken shape in the zone.

"Carestream Health Inc will concentrate on development in China," said Liu, "No matter how the global business environment changes, we will invest in all businesses suitable for the company - especially focusing on core products in China and other key global markets," he added.

"Starting in 2018, Carestream has been carrying out a series of reforms to streamline business, and we believe China will become the center that drives global business," Liu said.

He said that Carestream has been growing in Jinqiao for 27 years, and its development has been inseparable from Jinqiao and Pudong.

Carestream was originally just a manufacturing plant, but it has been rapidly developing in terms of sale sales, manufacturing, R&D and operations since it settled in Pudong, according to Liu.

Relying on a better understanding of local markets and policies, Carestream has put its focus on China's primary medical and health market, bringing the company more opportunities for development.

Carestream built its Greater China Regional Headquarters in Shanghai in 2008 to better serve its customers in the Asian-Pacific region.

With the rapid development of Carestream in China, its Greater China Regional Headquarters in Shanghai have played a vital role in the group's business around the world.

Liu said that Carestream has given high priority to fostering local talent, and most of its employees, including top managers and R&D personnel, are locals.

With its forward-looking strategy and domestically cultivated R&D group, Carestream is becoming increasingly competitive and has maintained double-digit growth in China in recent years, ranking first among all of the group's branch companies.

According to statistics, the Greater China Regional Headquarters of Carestream Health posted an annual sales volume of $400 million in 2012, surpassing the US market for the first time and becoming the group's largest market in the world. In 2015, Carestream's annual sales volume in China was close to $500 million, and in 2019, the Chinese market remained the world's largest market for Carestream.