Milwaukee,
Wis.— A. O. Smith Corporation (NYSE: AOS), today, celebrated the grand opening of its new Lloyd R.
Smith Corporate Technology Center. The 42,700-square-foot research and
development lab, located adjacent to the company’s world headquarters in
Milwaukee, will serve as the company’s global innovation hub, where teams of engineers
will concept, test and finalize core technologies to be used in A. O. Smith
products around the globe.
“We
have a world-class team of extraordinary engineers and problem solvers; and now
they have a world-class facility to help them in doing their work,” said Kevin
Wheeler, president and chief executive officer, A. O. Smith Corporation. “The
Lloyd R. Smith Corporate Technology Center will be our innovation hub of
tomorrow, identifying new and emerging technologies, and designing
state-of-the-art water technology solutions.”
A.
O. Smith’s corporate technology team – the team working in the new facility –
focuses on advanced research and development in the area of potable and
hydronic water heating, water treatment, and air purification. The new research
center features water heating and boiler performance test labs, water treatment
labs, an air test lab, as well as a number of specialized development labs. In
addition, the new research center has a prototype lab where product prototypes,
test fixtures and other equipment will be built.
“Here,
at the new Lloyd R. Smith Corporate Technology Center, our engineers will be
working to not only meet, but exceed, the demands of consumers by generating new
and innovative water technologies that heat, clean and conserve water,” said
Dr. Robert Heideman, senior vice president and chief technology officer, A. O.
Smith Corporation. “Even more exciting is that the layout of the facility will
help in increasing our team’s efficiency and decreasing overall product
development time.”
The
new facility is named after Lloyd Raymond Smith who led the company for three
decades in the early 1900’s and was responsible for some of the company’s most
far-reaching technological breakthroughs, such as A. O. Smith’s proprietary glass-lining
on water heater tanks.