New Delphi World Headquarters and Customer Center Is 'Springboard to the 21st Century'
2 October 1997
New Delphi World Headquarters and Customer Center Is 'Springboard to the 21st Century'
TROY, Mich., Oct. 2 -- The exciting new Delphi world
headquarters "is a springboard to the 21st Century for Delphi Automotive
Systems," J.T. Battenberg III, Delphi president, said today.
He spoke at dedication ceremonies for Delphi's new 264,000 square-foot
World Headquarters and Customer Center -- a glinting silver aluminum and glass
structure on a 55-acre site that has already become a Troy landmark.
"Our new World Headquarters and Customer Center is helping Troy to become
a world hub of the automotive components business," he said. "It provides a
single location for vehicle producers to meet with Delphi engineering,
technical and marketing people to develop innovations for future cars, trucks
and other products.
"Initiated here will be concepts that focus the global technical talents
and manufacturing capability of 174,000 Delphi men and women in 35 countries
to invent the future. Capitalizing on our opportunities into the next century
will expand Delphi's role as the world's premier automotive systems supplier."
Battenberg said the "heart and soul" of the building is the unique Delphi
Customer Center -- a 17,000 square-foot facility that goes well beyond the
product-showcase approach taken by many automotive suppliers.
Here, in a multi-media environment, are displayed the broad portfolio of
advanced systems capabilities of the six Delphi divisions and their partner,
Delco Electronics. The overview of Delphi's worldwide presence provides a
starting point for customers and Delphi specialists to explore new component
concepts.
Confidentiality is an essential element of the Customer Center. Since
Delphi supplies components to more than 20 vehicle makers in the U.S. and
foreign countries, new product plans can be discussed candidly and remain
secret from other Delphi customers.
The new Delphi building's site is between Square Lake Road and the I-75
expressway. It features a sweeping six-story office tower which tapers at
both ends to enclosed stairwells. Silver composite aluminum panels and
curved glass cover the building. Distinctive is the bright red vertical
color at either end of the building which reflects day and night on the
circular stairwells.
Modular offices in the tower house Delphi headquarters employees and
engineering and marketing representatives of Delphi divisions who meet with
visiting customers.
Black ceramic glazed brick encloses the first story of the office tower
and also the 108,000 square-foot, single-story technology building behind it.
This building houses the vital Customer Center and engineering technical
areas. These include engineering bays in which to develop concepts with
customers, prototype development, and systems equipment to study needs of
future vehicles. Also in the building is the employee dining room.
About 550 men and women work in the Delphi headquarters. However this
number changes each day with as many as 100 people each day visiting the
Customer Center from companies in the U.S. and the other 34 countries where
Delphi Automotive Systems operates.
News Notes: Delphi Automotive Systems' World
Headquarters and Customer Center
The Customer Center
Called the "heart and soul" of the Delphi headquarters is the Customer
Center where Delphi's divisional engineering, marketing and sales staffs work
together in support of customers from around the globe.
The 17,000 square-foot center is a self-contained hub that comprehensively
meets the needs of Delphi's OEM customers to not only learn about Delphi's
capabilities and products, but also to work intimately, effectively, and
confidentially with Delphi on their most sensitive projects.
Customer confidentiality was a key issue in the design of the center.
The center features a large conferencing area with multiple rooms, a
global capabilities area that illustrates Delphi's worldwide presence and a
product display room highlighting Delphi's broad portfolio of advanced
systems.
The product display updates customers on Delphi's systems capabilities,
showcasing products jointly developed among the company's six divisions and
with its partner, Delco Electronics. Among the systems are audio, ride and
handling, energy and engine management, thermal, electrical and electronics,
interior and exterior systems and cockpit integrated modular systems.
Displayed systems will be continually updated. The display also houses
several computers and large overhead screens for product-related presentations
to Delphi and Delco Electronics customers.
There are two distinctive "environmentally friendly" areas in the center.
One section of the floor is Bio-Composite -- 60 percent resin and 40 percent
recycled cardboard and newspaper. Another portion of the floor is white
Syndecrete -- a synthetic concrete with chips of recycled plastic and glass
from old automobile parts.
The Customer Center includes the capability for catering refreshments and
full meals during customer consultations.
Architecture
The concept of the new Delphi headquarters was "to provide a unique
building that relates to the 21st Century which will still look current 50 or
60 years from now," says William Kessler, architect for the project.
The six-story office tower has sweeping horizontal lines with non-
repetitive window patterns interspersed between silver composite aluminum
panels. The exterior panels and windows are both bent for a smooth
appearance. The self-contained, aluminum-clad stairwells allow an effective
taper at either end of the building.
Striking are the bright red ends of the office tower which reflect day and
night on the silver stairwells. It is the same red used in the Delphi
wordmark. The silver and red are factory-applied, highly durable polymer
paint.
The lighted canopy above the entrance extends a welcome to visitors.
The "International Lobby" actually begins outside the building with the
first of 27 authentic flags which surround the three-story lobby. They
represent most of the countries where Delphi does business.
Carrying out the welcoming theme is a globe-like sculpture above the
center of the lobby which was created for Delphi by Heather McGill of the
Cranbrook Academy of Art. It is six feet in diameter with intersecting rings
of clear-coated aluminum that surround a gold-colored globe of spun aluminum.
On the rings are the names of 25 world cities including many where Delphi
operates.
The exterior silver aluminum panels are also used within the building,
together with maple wood paneling and accents of bright colors to create a
stimulating atmosphere for employees.
Employees continually see one another because they all use two corridors
that connect the office tower and the single story technology building. They
are at either end of a windowed courtyard which lends a continual outdoor
effect.
This courtyard is also visible from the floor-to-ceiling windows of the
employee dining room.
Centered in the courtyard is "Delphi Eco," a brushed stainless steel
sculpture created for Delphi by Joseph Wesner of the Center for Creative
Studies. Prominent are two 11-foot vertical rings representing global
hemispheres which together with smaller pieces of the work reflect a world
extension of Delphi's engineering objectives and accomplishments.
Adding to the "employee friendly" atmosphere throughout the building are
more than 80 paintings and other artwork from the Cranbrook Academy of Art,
Center for Creative Studies and the General Motors Design Staff.
Communications
"Delphi" in large illuminated letters on top of both the front and back of
the new building is visible for many miles in all directions -- including the
I-75 expressway at the Crooks Road exit.
Three satellite dishes on the building connect with a variety of networks
including Delphi regional offices around the world. There are provisions for
worldwide video conferences.
Environment
Every phase from site preparation to occupancy was monitored to assure
that the Delphi headquarters building would be environmentally friendly and
was on the leading edge of design and construction technology to provide a
safe and healthy work environment.
One example is the use of tinted, low energy glass (low E) to keep heat
out in the summer and inside during the winter. There is also energy
conservation in the construction of the exterior walls and in the mechanical
systems.
Three large detention basins collect rain water that falls on the site.
It is then eliminated by evaporation. Landscaping helps conceal these basins.
The 55-acre Delphi site is landscaped to complement the campus atmosphere
of its immediate neighbor to the west, the Michigan State University
Management Education Center.
Building History
Delphi Automotive Systems' new headquarters address is 5725 Delphi Drive,
Troy, MI 48098-2815. Delphi Drive and the front of the building both face
north toward Square Lake Road.
Ground breaking for the building was held on September 28, 1995 when
farmer Nick Nichols and two Belgian horses "plowed new ground in the
automotive components world."
On May 22, 1996, a crane lifted a final steel beam to the top of the six-
story office tower together with the symbolic "topping out" Christmas tree to
signify completion of the steel erection.
Architect for the Delphi headquarters building was Kessler Associates of
Detroit. The Damone Group of Troy was the project manager and the
construction manager was Campbell/Manix Inc. of Southfield, Mich.
Delphi Background
The new World Headquarters and Customer Center further underscores a more
independent identity for Delphi Automotive Systems, the world's largest and
most diversified automotive supplier company with annual revenue of nearly
$28 billion. The president is J.T. Battenberg III.
In addition to six Delphi divisions and its partner, Delco Electronics, it
has regional offices in Paris, France; Sao Paulo, Brazil; and Tokyo, Japan.
Delphi has 12,000 engineers and 17 technical centers throughout the world.
Delphi's greatest resource is a highly-motivated, multi-national work
force dedicated to creating and delivering top quality components and systems.
Delphi has 174,000 employees worldwide at 198 manufacturing operations in
the United States and 34 other countries. Delphi also has 46 joint ventures
around the world.
The name "Delphi" was given to the former Automotive Components Group
Worldwide of General Motors in February, 1995 to provide the six
Delphi components and systems divisions a unified identity to more simply and
effectively compete for component business around the world.
While the name "Delphi" is relatively new, its divisions have hundreds of
years of combined knowledge and experience in automotive systems design.
The six operating divisions are Delphi Interior & Lighting Systems
headquartered in Warren, Mich.; Delphi Energy & Engine Management Systems in
Flint, Mich.; Delphi Saginaw Steering Systems in Saginaw, Mich.; Delphi
Chassis Systems in Dayton, Ohio; Delphi Packard Electric Systems in Warren,
Ohio and Delphi Harrison Thermal Systems in Lockport, N.Y.
Partner company Delco Electronics is headquartered in Kokomo, Ind. The
proposed integration of Delco Electronics into Delphi Automotive Systems is
pending government and regulatory approvals and the completion of the sale of
GM's Hughes Defense Operations to Raytheon.
SOURCE Delphi Automotive Systems
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