Johnson Controls-Hitachi sets up global dev center in Gujarat

Johnson Controls-Hitachi Air Conditioning, which sells 'Hitachi' brand air conditioners on Friday said it has invested Rs 157 crore (USD 22.5 million) to set up a new global development center at Kadi in Gujarat. The state-of-the-art facility inaugurated by the Gujarat chief minister Vijay Rupani on Friday. It will drive the company's world-class innovation capabilities with a strong focus on developing residential air conditioners and commercial packaged air conditioners for India as well as the Southeast Asia, Middle East and European markets.

"The center is having various state-of-the-art research and testing laboratories, including reliability labs, electromagnetic compatibility labs, electronics labs and sound labs," Johnson Controls-Hitachi Air Conditioning CEO Franz Cerwinka told reporters here. The company has employed 150 engineers at this center for carrying out research and development, he said.

"This is our fourth global development center in the world. We already have two such centers in Japan and one in China. This new center will play a critical role in developing new products, particularly for Southeast Asia, the Middle East and Europe to enhance our ability to meet diverse market needs in these regions," Cerwinka added. Notably, the lab is situated in the factory premises which was inaugurated by the Prime Minister Narendra Modi in 2013 when he was the chief minister of Gujarat.

"This engineering and innovation hub will put Gujarat on the world map for industrial research, product development and skill enhancement. With the launch of the new global development center, we have created additional opportunities for the local talent to demonstrate their skills and capabilities to respond to the dynamic global market needs," the company's CMD Gurmeet Singh said..

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