Dive Brief:
- Switzerland-based Condair Group is expanding its U.S. presence by building a $57.2 million facility in Richmond, Virginia, the company announced on June 18.
- The 400,000-square-foot plant will initially produce evaporative cooling system-related products with the potential to manufacture other Condair devices in the future, Horace Wynn, COO of North American operations, said in an email.
- Operations are expected to begin early next year and create 180 jobs including various engineering and plant roles. Condair also plans to move its evaporative technologies production from its Center, Texas, facility to the Richmond factory by 2026.
Dive Insight:
The Richmond facility will help achieve Condair’s goal to expand its evaporative humidifier technologies business in North America, the company stated in the release.
The location will allow Condair to be closer to its customers and have an adept supply chain. The new facility will be in close proximity to traffic lanes and international airports, Wynn said.
The Richmond facility will also be in close proximity to data centers, Wynn said, since the company is looking to grow its presence in the North America data center market. Virginia has one of the largest data center markets in the world, hosting 150 companies in the state including Amazon, Microsoft, Google and Visa, according to the Virginia Economic Development Partnership.
The humidifier’s data center and supercomputing customers include Amazon Web Services and Microsoft, according to a June 18 Gov. Glenn Youngkin announcement. Both companies have invested billions in expanding their data center presence in North America, particularly in the U.S.
Together with Condair’s existing sites in Racine, Wisconsin, and Ottawa, Canada, the new facility will help the company boost production of its evaporating cooling systems and better serve its customers across the country, Condair CEO Oliver Zimmermann stated in the release.
“We are committed to being a reliable partner for our customers while also fostering our company's growth,” Zimmermann said in a statement.
The Richmond metropolitan area has been drawing in global-based manufacturers to Virginia. Denmark-based Topsoe is teaming up with automation company ABB and construction company Fluor to build a $400 million e-fuel plant.
Denmark-based Lego Group is also currently building its $1 billion carbon-neutral plant in the area. The toy-making giant will begin production in 2027.
