thyssenkrupp Elevator today celebrates the groundbreaking of its new Innovation and Qualification Center (IQC), featuring a state-of-the-art, 420-foot (128–meter)-tall elevator test tower. The tower is the tallest of its kind in the U.S. and one of the tallest in the world, and anchors thyssenkrupp Elevator’s new North American headquarters next to the SunTrust Park, home of the Atlanta Braves baseball team.
With 18 shafts, the elevator test tower will be used to trial new concepts and product pilots, including high-speed elevators and TWIN, thyssenkrupp’s unique elevator system that features two cabins working independently in one shaft. The IQC will also test MULTI, the revolutionary rope-less and sideways-moving elevator system. In addition, the test tower will conduct robust tests to ensure compliance with stringent safety requirements on standard elevators.
The thyssenkrupp Elevator North American headquarters will be home to more than 900 full-time employees across three facilities, centralizing many scattered U.S. sites at one location and thus significantly reducing office rental costs and travel costs. Last month, employees started moving into the Business Headquarters (BHQ) in nearby Pennant Park, and a Corporate Headquarters (CHQ) will be built adjacent to the IQC. Both the IQC and CHQ will be built on property owned by the Atlanta Braves Development Company.
“thyssenkrupp Elevator is investing $300 million in the US over a period of 10-15 years, which is the most significant investment from the thyssenkrupp group. We place a high priority on the North American market, and this investment reflects that. From new product development to renovated manufacturing facilities, and from installation through to the provision of advanced maintenance service solutions, our US teams are becoming highly productive. They’re capable of offering the efficiency our customers expect. The new state-of-the-art facilities in Atlanta are a cornerstone in this investment strategy, and we are very proud to make a home there,” said Peter Walker, CEO of thyssenkrupp Elevator.
“The Innovation and Qualification Center is going to be a true differentiator in this industry thanks in part to its prominent, high-visibility location and its state-of-the-art design and innovative functionality,” said Steve Wedge, Interim CEO and CFO of thyssenkrupp Elevator North America. “The partnerships we have developed with the local business community and the Atlanta Braves, as well as our ongoing relationship with Georgia Tech University, will help the IQC become Atlanta’s next iconic structure.”
“Today marks an exciting step towards changing the Cobb County skyline and welcoming our wonderful new neighbor, thyssenkrupp, into the state of Georgia,” said Mike Plant, President and CEO of the Braves Development Company.
thyssenkrupp Elevator Americas is the largest producer of elevators in the Americas, and has more than 15,000 employees based in North and South America. It has more than 230 branch and service locations in the US, along with a LEED Gold certified manufacturing facility in Middleton, Tennessee. Iconic US buildings featuring thyssenkrupp Elevator technology include One World Trade Center (New York), The Sun Life Stadium (Florida), and Denver International Airport (Colorado).
The IQC tower joins a global network of towers, with others in Rottweil, Germany, and Zhongshan, China. Collectively, they allow thyssenkrupp to innovate urban mobility around the globe.
