Due to strong growth experienced by the North America division at Beckhoff Automation, the company moved its U.S. headquarters in April 2013 to a modern business complex with more than 44,500 ft2 of combined office and warehouse space in Savage, Minn., a suburb of Minneapolis.
On May 30, Beckhoff held a grand opening reception for its customers, local politicians and business leaders, college and university leaders, trade media and others to view its expanded office and storage space, but mostly to celebrate.
Graham Harris, president of Beckhoff Automation LLC, and Gerd Hoppe, a key member of Beckhoff's corporate management team, hosted the event, which included a tour of the two-story building that's characterized by large glass elements and a limestone façade. The new office offers nearly three times the space of the previous one, including roughly 25,000 ft² of office space, 15,000 ft² of warehouse space and an advanced, ESD-protected repair service center.
"Beckhoff Automation LLC entered the North American market back in 1999 and has averaged sales growth rates of more than 20% every year, recounted Graham Harris, president, Beckhoff Automation. "Having joined the company in 2002, I've witnessed growth from a small, ambitious and young automation subsidiary into a $50 million regional business for Beckhoff Automation GmbH.
Beckhoff's new North American headquarters leverages the company's own hardware and software for advanced building automation. The building's lighting, heating/cooling, ventilation and window facades are all automated via PC-based control to reduce energy consuption. Daylight harvesting to set light levels is a major part of the system, and the external environment is used for heating/cooling whenever possible. The Beckhoff control platform easily communicates with the wide variety of devices used in today's intelligent buildings.
