thyssenkrupp’s new Zhongshan plant includes a high-speed test tower
By David Malone, Associate Editor
thyssenkrupp recently opened its newest plant in Zhongshan City, Guangdong Province, China. The focal point of the new facility is an 813-foot tower (31 floors above ground) that will be used to test new concepts and product pilots.
The tower includes 13 shafts and an Active Mass Damper (AMD) system meant to significantly reduce the extent of tower swing caused by changes in weather conditions. The AMD system can also mimic motions of extreme meteorological conditions, like earthquakes and typhoons.
A new high-speed elevator capable of reaching 40 miles per hour and MULTI, the world’s first rope-less elevator system, will be among the first technologies tested in the new tower. MULTI uses the power of linear motor technology to move multiple cars in a single shaft both vertically and horizontally with a much smaller footprint, substantial weight and mass reduction, and increased capacity.
The test tower is thyssenkrupp’s second. The first was completed in Germany, where the company is headquartered, last October.
