Endress+Hauser Canada inaugurates “green” Customer Experience Centre

Endress+Hauser Canada has erected one of the country’s “greenest” commercial buildings for 20 million euros. The recently opened customer experience and process training centre in Burlington, ON, is energy-autonomous and CO2 neutral. The 4,400-square-meter facility — twice the size of the current location — houses a process training centre, a large calibration lab, repair facility, training centre and state-of-the-art office and recreational space for around 120 people.

The new building in Burlington reflects the solid growth of the past years. “The Customer Experience Centre is an impressive example of Endress+Hauser’s global strategy of cultivating and managing customer partnerships. This is how we grow — in Canada and worldwide,” says Matthias Altendorf, CEO of the Endress+Hauser Group. He added that the centre will invite pre- and post-secondary students to both generate interest in STEM (science, technology, engineering, mathematics) careers and to augment them.

“This building is also designed for people to collaborate, whether they are suppliers, distributors, universities or customers, to become creative and find new solutions.”

Dedicated lab rooms at the Endress+Hauser Canada Customer Experience Centre in Burlington, ON, provide a variety of services, including system commissioning, calibration and troubleshooting (shown).

The building represents the brand values of the Group, he adds. “It demonstrates our dedication to customers and our commitment to sustainability.” This commitment began at Endress+Hauser over ten years ago as customers approached the company about its plans for sustainability.

“We measured waste in our factories and redesigned packaging to meet new sustainability goals,” says Altendorf. One goal became to reach the top 25 percent percentile in the EcoVadis sustainability audit rating. “We’ve reached the top 1 percent,” he explains.

Endress+Hauser has maintained a presence in Canada since 1990 with its own sales centre, which manages customers from Manitoba to the Atlantic provinces. The employees at the headquarters in Burlington, in addition to locations in Montreal, Calgary and Edmonton, are supported by various sales representatives. Whether primaries, metals and mining, oil and gas, food, chemicals, life sciences, water and wastewater, and power and energy, the resource-rich country is home to virtually all industries.

“The new building is designed to express our standards as a company, not only to our customers but the public as a whole,” emphasizes managing director Anthony Varga. In planning the project, Endress+Hauser Canada focused on the needs of the customers. “We can provide the best possible support to our customers over the entire lifecycle of their systems. We offer an inviting environment while setting standards for ecological building design.”

Hands-on training

At the Customer Experience Centre inauguration, Endress+Hauser Canada managing director Anthony Varga had a chance to explain the scope of company’s process training units (PTUs). Customers, associates, distributors, suppliers, and students will all be welcomed.

At the heart of the new building is a process training centre, the second of its kind in Canada. Such process training units (PTU) can be found at Endress+Hauser locations around the world. Customers can use these pilot plant systems to practice hands-on how to operate a wide range of measurement instruments and profit from a long partnership with Rockwell Automation and other manufacturers. This allows customers to simulate conditions similar to their own operating environments.

Renewable energy

Endress+Hauser places a high value on sustainability and energy efficiency in construction projects all around the world. The new building in Canada covers its electricity needs with more than 800 solar modules installed on the roof. These panels can generate around 408,000 kilowatt hours of electricity on an annual basis, exceeding the needs of the building so that electricity can be fed into the grid. A geothermal system draws heat from 50 wells at a depth of 180 meters and distributes it across the entire building via 63 heat pumps.

Well thought-out architecture

The south-facing windows in the upper floor capture sunlight, while the triple-glazed façade prevents heat loss. A four-meter-high Ficus tree in the atrium improves the air quality and symbolizes the “green” mindset. Thanks to all of these measures, the building is one of the greenest structures in the country. Endress+Hauser is the first private company to strive for all three certificates from the Canada Green Building Council: Net Zero Energy, Zero Carbon Building Standards and the Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) in Gold.