DAIKIN EUROPE N.V. IS PROUD TO ANNOUNCE IT HAS WON THE FOREIGN INVESTMENT OF THE YEAR TROPHY, AWARDED BY FLANDERS INVESTMENT AND TRADE (FIT). THIS AWARD IS A RECOGNITION OF THE IMPORTANT COMMITMENT OF DAIKIN EUROPE TOWARDS FLANDERS AND EUROPE, HIGHLIGHTED BY ITS 140 MILLION EURO INVESTMENT IN A GLOBAL HEAT PUMP RESEARCH AND DEVELOPMENT CENTRE IN GHENT, BELGIUM.

THE RESEARCH CENTRE WILL BE HOME TO THE COMPANY’S GLOBAL RESEARCH AND DEVELOPMENT OF HEAT PUMP AND SUSTAINABLE COLD CHAIN TECHNOLOGIES. THE INVESTMENT IN EDC IS PART OF DAIKIN’S FUSION 2025 PLAN TO BECOME A LEADING COMPANY IN SUSTAINABLE HEATING AND COOLING SOLUTIONS.

THE EMEA DEVELOPMENT CENTER WILL BE CONSTRUCTED IN THE TECHNOLOGY PARK IN GHENT, BELGIUM AND SHOULD BE OPERATIONAL BY 2024. THE NEW BUILDING WILL BRING ALL OF DAIKIN’S R&D PEOPLE IN BELGIUM TOGETHER ON ONE SITE, WHERE THEY WILL BE ABLE TO WORK CLOSELY WITH GHENT UNIVERSITY. “IT IS OUR AIM TO CREATE AN EXCITING AND INSPIRING WORK ENVIRONMENT, WITH OPENNESS TO CO-CREATE. OUR HEATING INNOVATIONS ARE THE RESULT OF RESEARCH INTO HEAT PUMP TECHNOLOGY COMBINED WITH INTERNET OF THINGS AND ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE,” SAYS LAURENT VAN THOURNOUT, DEPUTY GENERAL MANAGER OF THE EMEA DEVELOPMENT CENTER, “AND THIS COMBINATION PROVIDES OPPORTUNITIES TO DEVELOP NEW BUSINESS MODELS.

THE EMEA DEVELOPMENT CENTER IS PART OF A LARGER INVESTMENT PLAN WITHIN THE FRAMEWORK OF DAIKIN‘S FUSION 2025 PLAN. BETWEEN 2021 AND 2025, THE COMPANY WILL BE INVESTING NO LESS THAN 840 MILLION EURO ACROSS THE EMEA REGION.

THE EUROPEAN HEATING MARKET IS CHALLENGED TO MOVE TO FOSSIL-FREE HEATING SOLUTIONS UNDER THE EU GREEN DEAL. “WE STRONGLY BELIEVE THAT HEAT PUMP TECHNOLOGY WILL BE KEY TO MAKE THE EUROPEAN CONTINENT CLIMATE NEUTRAL BY 2050. THROUGH OUR INVESTMENTS WE ARE REINFORCING OUR LEADING POSITION IN THE MARKET, ENABLING US TO CONTRIBUTE TO THE TRANSITION TO SUSTAINABLE AND FOSSIL-FREE HEATING AND COOLING SOLUTIONS,” CONCLUDES WIM DE SCHACHT.