Company News Mar 23, 2016 10:02 AM
Deep Roots in China, thyssenkrupp Elevator inaugurates Multiple-Purpose Facility Building in Shanghai
March 23, 2016 - thyssenkrupp Elevator, the world-renowned elevator solution provider, inaugurated its new Multiple-Purpose Facility (MPF) Building in China, marking another milestone for the company’s expansion in the country. With a 120 million Yuan (17 million euros) investment, the 15,000 square meter and 40 meter-high MPF building is equipped with advanced systems in the industry and the company’s latest products - elevators, escalators, and moving walks, as well as the spectacular TWIN elevators. It also shows advanced technologies like MAX and MULTI.
The building also hosts an impressive multimedia showroom, the first of its kind, which offers visitors a personalized and interactive 360-degree view of the company’s latest innovations in vertical and horizontal transportation.
For the past two decades, thyssenkrupp has spared no efforts in keeping its promise to China, developing together with the country by implementing its far-sighted strategy, gradually increasing its investment in the country, and carrying out various R&D projects. Additional innovations and technologies will be introduced into China to support urbanization.
Heads of Songjiang District Government and Sheshan Town and representatives of quality and technical supervision bureaus of various elevator associations attended the ceremony, together with thyssenkrupp management represented by Dr. Heinrich Hiesinger, Chairman of the Executive Board of thyssenkrupp AG, Andreas Schierenbeck, Chairman of the Executive Board of thyssenkrupp Elevator AG, and Jürgen Böhler, Chief Executive Officer of thyssenkrupp Elevator in China.
“China is by far our most important market in Asia. In the last five years, thyssenkrupp has invested more than 500 million euros to further grow our various business areas in China, and our Elevator business is a very important part of these investments.” said Dr. Heinrich Hiesinger, Chairman of the Executive Board of thyssenkrupp AG.
Last year, the company began building its new Zhongshan Elevator Plant and test tower. Upon completion, the plant will cover an area of nearly 100,000 square meters and include a world-class 248-meter test tower, which will support the development of high-end elevators for the global and local markets.
According to Chief Executive Officer of thyssenkrupp Elevator China, Mr. Jürgen Böhler, the company is also purchasing an additional 10,000 square meters of land adjacent to its Songjiang factory where it will build a new electrical workshop and logistics center.
thyssenkrupp Elevator is also continuously expanding its sales network in China, which today consists of 68 branches and 132 offices nationwide.
Andreas Schierenbeck, Chairman of the Executive Board of thyssenkrupp Elevator AG, highlighted the company’s efforts to create unique and efficient urban mobility solutions to address the demands of China’s urban development. “We have the innovations to face the upcoming needs of existing and future megacities.”
The TWIN elevator, also available in China, is one example of thyssenkrupp’s innovative power. Operating two cars independently in the same shaft, the TWIN can take passengers to two different floors at the same time, thus saving their waiting time. It also comes with the company’s intelligent destination-selection control (DSC) system, which reduces the number of stops each elevator makes, and includes functions such as VIP or emergency call overrides for immediate access to an elevator.
The company’s range of innovations also includes MULTI, a rope-less elevator system which is driven by linear motor technology known from the Shanghai Maglev train, as well as ACCEL, which is capable of moving people in metros and airports up to three times faster than conventional moving walks. MAX, a game-changing predictive and pre-emptive service solution, utilizes the power of Microsoft Azure Internet of Things (IoT) technology, to dramatically increase current availability levels of existing and new elevators. MAX makes it possible for an elevator to “tell” service technicians its real needs, including real-time identification of repairs, component replacements, and proactive system maintenance.
“thyssenkrupp has always offered service that prioritizes product quality and service. The company has gained such a good reputation amongst Chinese customers that it truly motivates the whole Chinese elevator industry to work harder and opt for improvements,” said Li Shoulin, chairman of the China Elevator Association.
Qin Jian, Chief Executive Official of Songjiang District, applauded the company for its innovative solutions. “Songjiang District has witnessed thyssenkrupp’s continuous developments in the past decades”, he referred.
Talking about thyssenkrupp Elevator’s vision for China, Jürgen Böhler said, “We will continue to grow and develop together with our valued partners to make urban life more convenient and efficient.” In the future, thyssenkrupp will significantly contribute to place urban life in China amongst the best in the world.