Varian Medical Systems to Create East Coast Hub in Atlanta

Varian Medical Systems, maker of medical devices and software for treating cancer, as well as a supplier of X-ray imaging components, plans to expand its operations in the Atlanta, Ga., area.

Officials for the Palo Alto, California-based company want to create an East Coast hub to better serve its customers and accommodate anticipated growth. The move is anticipated to create up to 100 new high-paying technical jobs over the next five years.

Varian has a long history in the Atlanta area, with an office just north of the city in Marietta for more than 30 years. In 2012, Varian helped establish a clinical linear accelerator laboratory at the George W. Woodruff School of Mechanical Engineering at Georgia Tech University, for medical physics students to get hands-on experience with state-of-the-art radiation therapy equipment.

Varian’s local operations recently expanded with the acquisition of Velocity Medical Solutions, an Atlanta-based developer of specialized software for cancer clinics that was incubated at Emory University. Velocity was supported, in its early stages, by the Georgia Research Alliance, a nonprofit organization aligned with Georgia’s Department of Economic Development, working to expand research and commercialization capacity in Georgia’s universities to launch new companies, create high-value jobs, and transform lives.

“We anticipate that there will be significant worldwide growth in demand for technology and software that clinicians can use to improve outcomes when treating cancer,” said Kolleen Kennedy, president of Varian’s Oncology Systems business. “Our acquisition of the Velocity group was part of a larger strategy to produce more tools and software that support our clinical customers. The new facility in Atlanta will enable us to foster greater collaboration across our teams and make sure that we have the space to accommodate future growth. We sincerely appreciate the support we have received for this project from Georgia state officials.”

According to Kennedy, the new Atlanta center will include a state-of-the-art customer visit facility so that customers in the Eastern part of the United States and in Europe do not need to travel to California.

Varian officials predict that the new center will be ready for occupancy in November.

Varian employs approximately 6,800 people who are located at manufacturing sites in North America, Europe and China and approximately 70 sales and support offices around the world.