A look at Palfinger’s new North American headquarters

Customers, media and a host of industry dignitaries poured out of cars and walked the Hollywood-esque red carpet to check out everything Palfinger had to offer at the new facility. Photo: Palfinger

It was a gorgeous, sunny June day in Schaumburg, IL. After landing at Chicago O’Hare International Airport, and just a short Uber ride later, I approached the impressive set up at the grand opening of Palfinger’s North American headquarters. The team had quite literally rolled out the red carpet.

One of the many reasons the company decided on this northwestern suburb of Chicago is its proximity to one of the top ten largest airports, making it easy to reach from all over North America, as well as access to an attractive labor market. Palfinger is looking to make a clear commitment to the region and to their customers at their new home base.

Palfinger customers, industry dignitaries and the media poured out of cars and walked the Hollywood-esque red carpet to check out everything Palfinger had to offer at the new facility. The fifth location in North America, the headquarters serves as an iconic milestone in the company’s more than 90-year history.

Pictured from left: Ismael Daneluz, Vice President Sales & Service, North America and Latin America; Andreas Klauser, CEO; and Gerhard Sturm, Senior Vice President, Global Sales & Service.

“We are here to stay and grow,” said Andreas Klauser, CEO, Palfinger. “Led by our strong focus on our customers, we will use the next five years to significantly increase our North American market share in all product segments and show what we are capable of.”

The entire USA management team works from the Schaumburg location. This includes finance, HR, marketing, sales, service and an engineering center. The company’s key regional functions are now consolidated at one location.

The training center can accommodate up to 90 people at a time, providing an environment for collaborative learning experiences.

“Our leadership team is in one spot,” said Klauser. “This headquarters will be the backbone for our growth and our next steps forward. It’s a one-stop shop approach. We can provide the equipment, we can provide the entire solution, and we can guarantee that it works properly. We are proactively shaping our future, and there’s a huge potential for us.”

Not only serving as a headquarters for leadership, the newly renovated location also places emphasis on education through its classroom and hands-on sales and service training facility, capable of holding up to 90 people at a time. Coupled with an equipment showroom, customers have accessibility to both.

Market commitment

The bustling headquarters is also equipped with a virtual reality training center because of Palfinger’s strong focus on digital solutions. This technology allows trainees and customers to operate a wide range of Palfinger products without requiring any prior experience, while also enhancing the safety capabilities of the traditional training process.

The use of virtual reality simulators reduces the uptime of machines, encourages proper skill levels and further builds on the skill levels in the surrounding region.

“The world is changing and evolving, and we need to be on the same level,” said Ismael Daneluz, vice president of sales and service North and Latin America. Users can brush up on their skills or take a new piece of equipment for a spin. As a result, this reduces the uptime of machines, encourages proper skill levels and further builds on the skill levels in the surrounding region.

“Opening the new North American headquarters reflects our commitment to Palfinger’s second biggest market,” added Daneluz. “We aim to serve our customers better than ever before, to strengthen our presence and further expand our operations in North America, driving innovation and delivering industry leading solutions to meeting the evolving needs of our valued customers and partners.”

With their sights set on revenues of $1 billion by 2027, Palfinger is aiming for growth and investing in the future.

“We are constantly looking and developing products for the North American market and going to customers for research and understanding their needs,” concluded Klauser. “We will certainly continue this in the coming years.”