Lenze taking ‘machine-up’ approach in customer center

New Illinois facility expands company’s capability to grow.

Bob Vavra, Content Manager, Plant Engineering

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In mapping out the home for its new Mechanical Product Assembly & Logistics Center, Lenze Americas looked at its existing and potential customers and found what company president Chuck Edwards called “the center of our universe” – which turns out to be in Glendale Heights, Ill.

Lenze staged an opening for customers and employees for the 100,000 sq ft. facility on Sept. 25. Lenze has room to grow in the new facility, but that growth will be built around a logistical plan that takes advantage of the ability to assemble and ship from a central location.

“We can reduce shipping costs and cut our lead time, which will make us more responsive to our customer demands,” said Edwards. The facility will feature three business functions – electro-mechanical assembly for its mechanical drives, OEM business development, and the Midwest sales office.

“We are excited about the grand opening of our new facility in Glendale Heights,” said Gene Wood, director of operations, Lenze Americas. “The new Glendale Heights location gives Lenze Americas an even greater opportunity to meet the needs of our growing North America customer base. With greater capacity and capabilities, we are able to offer flexible services, reduced cost of delivery and expedited deliveries.”

Part of that process also is working with customers to make sure the machine performs as designed. In an age where mechatronics has seen control systems sometimes overwhelming machines, Edwards said Lenze, with a long tradition from the machining side, goes at the issue form the opposite direction.

“We’re working with the customer to optimize machine performance. As you begin to push the extremes, it becomes a physics question,” he said. “To understand physics, you have to approach it from the mechanical size up into the control system instead of from the control system on down.”