Brazilian OEM Embraco, part of Nidec Global Appliance, has announced it is building a new compressor plant in Chhatrapati Sambhaji Nagar, India, that will open in 2026 and produce isobutane (R600a) and propane (R290) compressors for residential and commercial refrigeration applications.
The new factory will have an annual production capacity of 6 million compressors per year and will come online in the second half of 2026. The 55,000m2 (592,015ft2) facility has an estimated price tag of $120 million (€104 million) and is expected to create between 750 and 1,000 jobs.
“India’s refrigeration market is expanding rapidly,” said Alberto Casnati, President of Nidec Global Appliance, in a press release. “This new facility will allow us to better meet local demand with high-efficiency, locally produced solutions for both the household and commercial sectors.”
Compressors and electronics: The new facility will produce four types of Embraco compressors along with inverters for the variable-speed compressors.
- The fixed-speed ES and EL compressors are designed for residential applications, with the ES also serving commercial applications.
- The variable-speed FMS and VLT models are designed for residential and commercial applications, respectively.
- The use of R600a or R290 depends on the application, according to Embraco.
Pushing production: In 2021, Embraco invested $21 million (€24 million) in its Joinville, Brazil, plant to increase production of its EM2 and EM3 compressors. The compressors use R290 and R600a and are used in residential and light commercial applications.
Investing in India: U.S.-based Copeland announced the opening of a new engineering and technology center in Pune, India, back in March.
- Copeland said the new R&D center will help drive “natural refrigerants adoption” in India.
- The center facility measures 15,000m2 (161,458ft2) and will employ 320 staff members in engineering, research and development, and software and firmware development.
- “As global demand for sustainable solutions continues to rise, this new engineering and technology center will focus on advancing energy-efficient and low-GWP and natural refrigerant technologies for global deployments across the HVAC and refrigeration industry,” said CEO Ross B. Shuster in a press release.
Quotable: “By establishing a footprint in India, we aim to support the domestic refrigeration sector and strengthen the local supply chain,” said Casnati. “At the same time, this facility has the potential to become our regional export hub, further reinforcing the Nidec GA leadership in the global refrigeration industry.”
