Customers, media, educational partners, governmental, and industry representatives joined with Tecumseh employees to celebrate the official ribbon-cutting ceremony at the company’s new global technology center.

ANN ARBOR, Mich. — Tecumseh Products Co. recently celebrated the grand opening of its global technology center in Ann Arbor, Mich.

The new 35,000-square-foot facility showcases the research, testing, and development capabilities of the company. It joins certified Tecumseh labs in France, Brazil, and India to form the backbone of a global engineering network, with increased focus on research, development, and applications development.

“We’re celebrating the opening of the global technology center today, and we’re also marking an important point in our company’s history,” said Jim Connor, president and CEO. “This modern facility allows us to strategically focus on the changing needs of the refrigeration and air conditioning marketplace, developing the most energy-efficient and eco-friendly products possible.”

The multimillion-dollar facility contains a variety of the latest computer simulation, testing, and analysis tools, including a 60-cubic-meter hemi-anechoic chamber, two large-scale environmental chambers each with hydrocarbon refrigerant testing capabilities, as well as full-scale reliability and calorimeter testing.

“Tecumseh has been developing compressors and condensing units that use hydrocarbon refrigerants for more than a decade with the primary focus being Europe and South America,” said Mike Noelke, vice president of sales, marketing, and engineering. “We’ll utilize this new facility to accelerate our hydrocarbon development efforts. Additional priorities include evaluating materials, lubricants, and mechanisms to improve compressor performance and reliability.”

Much of the new technology center activities will be in partnership with customers to analyze compressor and condensing unit performance when applied to their equipment. In addition, there will be engagement with customers to develop engineered refrigeration solutions, complete with agency certifications.

“Throughout our history, Tecumseh has collaborated with universities across the globe that are leaders in the area of HVACR research,” said Alex Alvey, senior manager, corporate technology and research & development. “Our renewed emphasis on research and development will make these collaboration initiatives even more important.”

The new center meets Energy Star accreditation qualifications and is fully UL and ISO certified. Tecumseh is pursuing LEED certification as part of its commitment to improving the environment. For more information, visit www.tecumseh.com.

Publication date: 05/28/2012