InSinkErator Opens New $34M Global Headquarters in Mount Pleasant
RACINE, Wis. — InSinkErator is celebrating 80 years in southeast Wisconsin with the grand opening of its new 87,000-square-foot headquarters in Mount Pleasant. The environmentally efficient building will house 175 engineers and professional staff.
In tandem with the grand opening, InSinkErator also announced its commitment of $200,000 over five years to Higher Expectations for Racine County, a collaborative initiative that engages community partners, aligns efforts and maximizes resources to promote excellence and equity in education and employment outcomes in Racine County.
The new headquarters and lab building are designed to qualify for Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design certification, as well as to optimize productivity and collaboration, featuring:
- Advanced work environment to help attract and retain employees
- Easy access to InSinkErator facilities in Racine, Kenosha and Sturtevant
- Convenient location near Interstate 94 in the Chicago, Illinois-Milwaukee, Wisconsin corridor
- Nearly 2-acre campus with walking paths and outdoor seating for employee enjoyment
In addition to a modern layout and abundant natural light, building designers incorporated enhanced research capabilities such as:
- Hemi-Anechoic Chamber Sound Lab – A sound-testing chamber that eliminates noise contamination to test the sound pressure, intensity and power of food waste disposers.
- 3D Printing and Innovation Area – Rapid prototyping from the 3D printing center enables the innovation team to quickly move new products from ideas to consumer homes. This high-tech capability cuts weeks or even months off product development times.
- Commercial Solutions and Grind2Energy lab – The commercial group researches innovative, sustainable products to handle food waste where people live, shop and dine and turn it into renewable energy.
- Grind Test Lab and Kitchen – New testing labs and kitchens will help engineers determine how to make disposers capable of grinding even the toughest food waste that is part of diets around the globe.
Emerson is also investing $29 million to make improvements to the Racine facility, the previous headquarters for InSinkErator. The upgrades will help InSinkErator stay ahead of increased customer demand for its food waste disposers for home and commercial use. These improvements are the latest of a $150-million investment Emerson is making in southeast Wisconsin over the 2015-2019 timeframe. The investment also includes the Kenosha, Wisconsin facility occupied in 2015.
