Phoenix Contact Opens Customer & Technology Center in Mich.

Phoenix Contacthas opened a new Customer and Technology Center in Ann Arbor, Mich., to serve as a modern training, demonstration, and software development facility. Approximately 40 employees work in the 27,000-square-foot building that Phoenix Contact purchased in 2010.

The centerpiece of the facility is a demonstration room in which Phoenix Contact showcases how its products can meet customer needs in five specific industries: Automotive; Power Generation; Oil & Gas; Transportation; and Water/Wastewater.

Roland Bent, senior vice president for marketing and development, Phoenix Contact GmbH & Co., said the investment in the new center is intended to show a commitment toward the American market and the company’s future strategies.

The Ann Arbor office is part of the recently created Control and Industry Solutions group division. It is also the head office of Phoenix Contact”s newly formed U.S. automotive global industry management team, which is an integral part of the company’s global solutions strategy. Ann Arbor is also the U.S. home of Phoenix Contact’s Software Competence Center, which created its PC WORX Soft-PLC RT.

In addition to bringing Phoenix Contact closer to its customers in the Midwest, the company says these facilities will serve as a launching pad for the next phase of its software development and industry activities in Michigan and the U.S.

Phoenix Contact develops and manufactures industrial electrical and electronic technology products. Phoenix Contact GmbH & Co. KG, Blomberg, Germany, operates 50 international subsidiaries, including Phoenix Contact USA in Middletown, Pa.