Pilz opens new research and development centre

Earlier in the summer of 2008, Pilz GmbH & Co KG officially opened the Peter Pilz Technology Centre as part of its 60th anniversary celebrations. This new facility was required in order to house the research and development department, which has recently been boosted by a significant increase in staff numbers. This sends a clear signal of our growth to the outside world, said Renate Pilz, Managing Partner.

Alongside management and staff, the inauguration was also attended by Ostfildern's Lord Mayor Christof Bolay and Mayor Jürgen Fahrländer.

Remarkably, the Technology Centre was completed in just six months. It was only possible because everyone involved worked together magnificently, said Hermann Rothlübbers, Head of Production Technology and Building Services at Pilz GmbH & Co KG. The elliptical Peter Pilz Technology Centre has more than 1600 square metres of office space that extends over four floors and features flexible partitioning. Space is available for up to 150 engineers working on both technology and product development.

The Peter Pilz Technology Centre will help Pilz maintain a technological lead and secure the company's international competitiveness in the market for safe automation. Furthermore, the building provides sufficient space in the future for the growing number of research and development staff at the company's Ostfildern site.

An innovative, environmentally friendly building, the Peter Pilz Technology Centre benefits from ventilation technology in which room temperature is controlled via cold or warm water circulating through pipes; this reduces energy consumption by at least 25 per cent. The rooms are air-conditioned via thermal solar cells on the roof; hot water is converted in absorption chillers, which is an energy-efficient and environmentally friendly technology that was first used only two years ago.