Siemens Healthcare (Malvern, Pennsylvania) has broken ground on a new training and service facility at its location in North Carolina. The company said the event signals the start of its expansion efforts due to greater demand for Siemens medical equipment and technologies.

The new facility is a planned 143,000-square-foot, six-story office building on the company's Cary, NC, campus off Gregson Drive. Scheduled to open in early 2010, the new facility will house more than 500 technical and administrative support personnel, and include a 600-car parking deck and a separate one-floor cafeteria. An existing structure located at Gregson Drive and MacAlyson Court will be demolished at a yet-to-be determined date.

Siemens' commitment to the project will include a $57 million investment, as well as the addition of roughly 300 jobs over the next five years, in anticipation of the greater demand for training and technical support for Siemens' medical technologies. Currently, Siemens employs nearly 700 people in its Cary operations.

Siemens provides a variety of technical and application training for customers, Siemens Customer Service Engineers (CSEs) and application specialists, including both basic and advanced levels. The training offerings include class room training, Web-based training, and virtual training. All training combines theoretical and practical knowledge in an effective learning environment.