Endress+Hauser's new USA Customer Center in Pearland, Texas, was officially opened Oct. 26 by (l. to r.) Jim Johnson, president and CEO, Pearland Chamber of Commerce; Bill Poland, construction VP, Genesis Property Development; John Schnake, corporate process analyzers director and GM, SpectraSensors; Matthias Altendorf, CEO, Endress+Hauser Group; Klaus Endress, supervisory board president, Endress+Hauser; Dr. Monde Qhobosheane, president and CEO, Analytik Jena USA; Todd Lucey, GM, Endress+Hauser USAand corporate sales director, North America, Endress+Hauser; Jared Boudreaux, president, Vector CAG; Pat Irwin, area VP, Endress+Hauser USA; and Kevin Cole, mayor of Pearland.
Onscreen meetings have proven their value lately, but in-person gatherings and interactions are still better, just like live sports, music and theater. To give its many customers in Texas and the rest of the Gulf states the benefits of face-to-face experiences, Endress+Hauser unveiled its new USA Customer Center and campus on Oct. 26, in Pearland. Texas, on the south side of Houston.
"The Houston area is the single largest process industry market in the world," said Klaus Endress, president of the supervisory board at Endress+Hauser. "We've already been here for decades, but this new facility will let us serve our customers as they deserve to be served."
Completed on time and under budget despite COVID-19, the $35 million, 125,000-sq ft facility has 125 staffers, serving the entire region's energy market in oil and gas, liquefied natural gas, hydrogen and other applications. The building is a Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) Silver project as stipulated by the U.S. Green Building Council. It was designed with customers in mind, and is equipped for training, repair and calibration services. Endress+Hauser support teams, including inside sales and application engineering teams, provide localized technical expertise for customers. Its training services include a new Process Training Unit (PTU), where customers can learn about IIoT capabilities, Bluetooth-enabled components and more. With 200 Endress+Hauser devices and seven tanks set up for live training sessions, the Houston PTU is the largest training unit of its kind in the U.S.
“We're very excited for this investment in the U.S. market,” added Matthias Altendorf, CEO of Endress+Hauser Group. “This expansion reflects our strong foothold in the U.S. and connection to our customers. It enables us to provide the best service to our customers, strengthen our relationships with strategic partners, and grow our presence in the Gulf region. We're committed to sustainably generating value for this region.
The new facility can also perform accredited instrument calibration in up to 12-inch lines across a variety of measuring principles, including flow, level, temperature and pressure. These accredited calibrations can be performed in both the Houston laboratory and at customer sites with a mobile calibration rig.
One campus for one team
To make related technologies and collaborative opportunities even more available to its regional customers, Endress+Hauser's new campus also houses:
-
SpectraSensors' global marketing and applications division. Its 25-year-old tunable diode laser (TDL) spectroscopy for gas analysis business is an Endress+Hauser company. Spectra will combine its TDL spectroscopy technology with Kaiser Optical Systems Inc. (kosi.com) and its Raman spectroscopy technology on Jan. 1 to form Endress+Hauser Optical Analysis division;
-
Analytik Jena’s (AJ) measurement, testing, analytical, bioanalytical and optical systems product lines for laboratory instrumentation; and
-
Vector Controls & Automation Group, a local Endress+Hauser sales and service provider.
"Our customers can see us all as one team," says Jared Boudreaux, president of Vector CAG, "This campus exemplifies that we have one voice and one response for our customers, and that we represent one culture, brand and family company with one value and one goal."
Altendorf added, "End users and suppliers can't be creative of they can't come together. This campus supports and accelerates that ability. Each of the four initiatives on the campus, Endress+Hauser USA, Vector CAG, SpectraSensors and Analytik Jena, has is own area, but they're also together for better discussions, instead of being across town. We've already seen new opportunities created by this togetherness because customers can visit several partners at once."
Just as it's interacting with Houston area clients, the four partners are also reaching out to local schools, community colleges and universities, as Endress+Hauser has done at its other locations. In fact, students from 17 local schools have already visited the campus, and it first career and community education program is already planned for November.
