The way is cleared for the new Lead Design Center (from left to right): Dr. Juergen Jakoby (Director R&D), Pim Claassen (General Manager ARW), Philippe Delpech (President), Torsten Tuerling (Vice President Food Retail Distribution), Pierre Thomé (General Manager Food & Beverage), Heinz Baumgarten (Vice President Operations).
During the inauguration ceremony, Philippe Delpech, president, Europe, Middle East, Africa (EMEA) Commercial Refrigeration, said, “We selected the Frankfurt area (Mainz-Kostheim) because it meets our requirements for staff experience and technical expertise. The LDC serves as Carrier’s technical center for refrigeration in EMEA, focused on generating breakthrough innovations for our customers around the world.”
The new LDC joins two others for commercial refrigeration, in the U.S. and China, closing a gap for the EMEA region. Work on the LDC began early last year, proceeding alongside day-to-day operations at Mainz-Kostheim. Dr. Jürgen Jakoby, director of research and development for EMEA Commercial Refrigeration, said, “As the lead design center, we are responsible for research and development of new products and processes. In addition, we are leading our global organization in innovation and development of key technologies for future product lines.”
The new LDC supports a wide spectrum of activities for food retail refrigeration systems and beverage refrigeration equipment. The refurbished premises of the former technical division comprise laboratory and testing facilities, climate chambers, a model workshop and physics and chemistry labs. Labs and testing equipment for natural refrigerants have been relocated from Carrier’s Köln-Sürth facilities.
Carrier’s EMEA Commercial Refrigeration research, development and engineering (RD&E) group represents more than 200 employees, half of which include engineers, designers and experts in the fields of physics, chemistry and thermodynamics are located in the LDC. The center covers 6,000 square meters with test rooms, laboratories and a model construction workshop.
Linde Kältetechnik, acquired by Carrier in 2004, has been located in Mainz-Kostheim, in Germany’s Hesse state, since 1926 and originally manufactured small series equipment for refrigerators and cold rooms. In the mid-1970s, the factory became a leading producer of household appliances, switching later to commercial refrigeration cabinets and freezers for the international retail food trade. Last year, production was relocated to the Czech Republic, and Mainz-Kostheim was designated as a lead design center.
Carrier Corp., headquartered in Farmington, Conn., USA, is the world’s largest provider of heating, air conditioning and refrigeration solutions, with approximately 45,000 employees and operations in 172 countries. Carrier is part of United Technologies Corp., a Hartford, Conn.-based provider of a broad range of high technology products and support services to the aerospace and building systems industries.
