Beckhoff Automation opened its new technology and visitor centre in Silicon Valley in San Jose in April 2016, located around 50 kilometres southeast of San Francisco, next door to Intel, Apple and Google, cementing a local presence in the hotspot of IT and electronics development. The Beckhoff technology presentation aims to serve customers from all over the world. California's ‘Silicon Valley’ is home to the leading companies in the IT and semiconductor industries.

“This is precisely where technologies that shape all of our futures are conceived and developed. We want to contribute to this process through our automation technology,” explains Managing Director, Hans Beckhoff. “The ‘Valley’ is a hotbed for technology, with exciting customers and highly interesting business opportunities. Furthermore, the modern technology trends growing out of the Valley act as a driving force for automation in particular. We believe that we, together with our global customers, can and must leverage these cutting-edge innovations. The convergence of technologies from the fields of automation, IT and Internet, a strategy consistently pursued by Beckhoff, will be especially visible in our San Jose branch.”

As Aurelio Banda, President of Beckhoff North America, explained at the opening of the technology centre: “This is a major milestone for Beckhoff as a globally operating company, and naturally for Beckhoff USA as well, given that California represents one of the strongest economic regions in the US. Our goal is to establish even more extensive business relationships with the world's largest technology companies. Growing our presence in Silicon Valley – as a magnet for technology and our new office location – suits this strategy perfectly.”

Strategically positioned for ease of access, the new technology centre features nearly 1,200 square metres of floor area and accommodates a showroom, sales offices, an engineering department and training facilities. In addition to the best-in-class technical support Beckhoff will provide to the many customers based in this region, we also offer direct sales, technical services and customer training. With the opening of the Technical Center in Silicon Valley, Beckhoff now maintains seven regional sales and support offices in North America.