Brussels, 9 May, 2023 – On the annual Open Construction Site Day organised by the Belgian building industry last Sunday, Daikin Europe’s construction site of its EMEA Development Center in Ghent, Belgium, was open to visit by the public. Many visitors passed by at the Technology Park Zwijnaarde to witness how one of the most innovative and sustainable Research & Development centres in Europe is being built.
140 million euro investment
Daikin Europe’s 140 million euro investment joins all R&D activities for low-carbon heat pump heating and cooling together into one central knowledge centre for Europe the Middle East and Africa.
"During Belgium’s Open Site Day, hundreds of interested parties had the opportunity to take a look inside the new construction of our energy-neutral R&D centre. Visitors experienced up close how we are testing our innovative heat pumps," says Laurent Van Thournout, Deputy General Manager EMEA Development Center at Daikin Europe. "Daikin is growing rapidly with the increasing demand for low-carbon heat pumps. This year we are hiring more than 120 new engineers and technical profiles in Ghent, including recent graduates. We notice a lot of enthusiasm for our vacancies, because candidates want to contribute to a better planet with their next career move."
Highlights
- Visitors got an exclusive glimpse into the state-of-the-art test rooms.
- They experienced which tests are performed on Daikin heat pumps to ensure maximum quality in extreme conditions.
- Construction site with precast structure and concrete finishes in progress and where retaining steel sheet piles are being removed.
- A virtual tour showed a preview of the end results.
- Daikin engineers explained future R&D activities.
- Interested candidates were able to connect with Daikin staff about various job opportunities and discover these further through Augmented Reality.
- Daikin Europe is hiring 5,000 new employees by 2025, including many interesting vacancies in Ghent, Ostend and Brussels.
Key figures
- Investment: € 140 million
- Total land area: 30,600 m²
- 12,000 m² for laboratories and 23 test rooms
- Spread over 6 floors
- 13,000 m² for office space
- Divided over 14 floors with 2 underground parking levels
- Remaining space is for supporting infrastructure
- 12,000 m² for laboratories and 23 test rooms
- Energy-neutral and meets most advanced energy-efficiency standards
- nZEB and BREAAM Excellent label
- Room for 500 employees:
- Unites all Daikin R&D employees from Ostend and Ghent
- 120 colleagues to be recruited by 2023
- Start of testing activities: spring 2024
- Completion of entire site: summer 2024
- Move of all R&D activities to the new building: autumn 2024
Candidates
Candidates can apply for specific job vacancies on careers.daikin.eu
Daikin recruitment policy contact: Greet Velghe Tel. +32 495 489647
About Daikin
Daikin Europe N.V.
Daikin Europe is a subsidiary of Daikin Industries Ltd. and the leading provider of heating, cooling, ventilation, air purification and refrigeration solutions in Europe, the Middle East and Africa. The company designs, manufactures and brings to market a broad portfolio of equipment, as well as tailor-made solutions for residential, commercial and industrial purposes. To date Daikin Europe has over 12,000 employees working at more than 59 consolidated subsidiaries. It has 12 major manufacturing facilities based in Belgium, the Czech Republic, Germany, Italy, Spain, Turkey, Austria and the UK. The headquarters of the Daikin Europe group are in Belgium, Ostend. The company was established in 1972, production in Europe started in 1973.
About Daikin Industries Ltd.
Based in Osaka, Japan, Daikin Industries employs over 89,000 people worldwide. The global company is market leader for heat pump and air conditioning systems, as well as air filtration. It is the only air conditioning manufacturer in the world that researches, develops and produces all important system components, such as refrigerants, compressors and electronics, in-house. The company achieved € 23.7 billion sales turnover in financial year 2021 (1 April 21 – 31 March 22).
Read more on www.daikin.eu and www.daikin.com.
Media Contacts Daikin Europe N.V.
Sofie Sap – T.: +32 472 580 482 Mail: sap.s@daikineurope.com
Daisuke Kakinaga – T.: +32 465 462 321 Mail: kakinaga.d@bxl.daikineurope.com
