Although regional engineering offices have been in place for some time at Siemens Dematic, two recent developments have expanded their capabilities, says Ken Ruehrdanz, manager of marketing communications.

The company has added two offices, one in St Louis, Mo., and the other in Denver, Col., bringing the total number to 24. "This network allows Siemens Dematic engineers to be local to our customers, thereby allowing us to be very responsive to their requirements," says Ruehrdanz.

The regional offices follow standard practices to ensure quality in delivery of materials handling equipment and systems. Although smaller installations are typically handled by the regional offices, these offices can also be the starting point for larger systems. Those larger systems would typically be handed off to company headquarters in Grand Rapids, Mich.

System capabilities of the offices have also been expanded with the recent acquisition of Automation Technologies Industries (ATI), Birmingham, Ala. Annual sales of ATI were $20 million supplying circuit board assembly and pallet handling systems to the electronics industry and elsewhere. The acquisition provides the regional offices additional capabilities in assembly and manufacturing technologies.