BETHLEHEM, Pa. — Whether it’s giving ice cream its proper texture or testing the performance limits of a spacesuit, a broad range of industries manage liquids and gases using low-flow control technology.
That’s why Bronkhorst High-Tech is expanding its facility space in Bethlehem to better serve its customers in the petrochemical, food and beverage and automotive industries among others, company officials said at a ribbon-cutting event on Tuesday.
The family-owned and family-run business based in the Netherlands will use the Bethlehem office as its sales, service and assembly headquarters for the Americas, officials said.
“We now, with the grand opening of this new facility, have a little more than double the space that we had before to better serve our customers, our sales reps and our partners throughout the Americas."Todd Hannigan, general manager with Bronkhorst USA
It will employ about 30 people once fully staffed.
The new facility at 1550 Valley Center Parkway is about three miles east of the Bethlehem Bronkhorst USA office that opened in 2006.
For the past 18 years, the U.S. branch has primarily been a sales and service facility, as all products were built in the Netherlands, Bronkhorst USA General Manager Todd Hannigan said.
“We now, with the grand opening of this new facility, have a little more than double the space that we had before to better serve our customers, our sales reps and our partners throughout the Americas,” Hannigan said.
'Not just a simple device'
Locally, the staff will be able to produce 35 to 40 units per week in each of two new assembly cells, leaving enough room to even put up a third cell, officials said.
For example, the company’s EL-FLOW Select lab-style mass flow meter and gas controller features a bypass sensor to keep accuracy high and temperature stable.
“We truly believe in a close presence to our markets, to our customers because it’s not just a simple device... Customers need good service, good support."Fergus van Beek, Bronkhurst board member
The series is known for its use in the semiconductor market and other gas-flow applications.
A clean room that will serve the semiconductor industry is in an adjoining area.
Bronkhorst even recently opened a facility in Singapore to serve the Asian-Pacific market.
Fergus van Beek, Bronkhorst board member who joined the company 30 years ago, said he’s watched as the team has grown from 14 people at its humble beginnings to 800 people around the globe.
“We truly believe in a close presence to our markets, to our customers because it’s not just a simple device,” van Beek said. “Customers need good explanation. Customers need good service, good support.
“We are very happy to have a great team working here now with new facilities, with new production units or assembly units available to serve our customers here in the U.S.”
International companies based in the Keystone State employ more than 350,000 Pennsylvanians, said Thomas Schmidt, manager of business attraction and retention with the state Department of Community and Economic Development.
