HOUSTON — Loud applause erupted at the new Daikin Texas Technology Park when Takeshi Ebisu, CEO and president, Goodman Mfg. Co., affixed a badge to the first Goodman brand air conditioning unit to roll off an assembly line at the $417 million campus.

For Ebisu and the hundreds of Goodman team employees surrounding the assembly line, it was a time to celebrate a milestone in the works since the HVAC manufacturer announced in January 2015 it would build a state-of-the-art facility just outside northwest Houston.

The campus is expected to employ more than 5,000 people as part of Daikin’s global commitment to support in-country design, engineering, and assembly. Goodman, a member of the Daikin group, is in the process of moving all of its U.S. operations to the Texas campus.

“The new business campus will provide many outstanding benefits to our customers,” stated Mr. Ebisu. “The operational efficiencies we achieve will be reflected in the superb quality of our high-efficiency, energy-saving heating and cooling systems. We are excited about the outstanding value that this move will bring to our current and future customers. We see this new business campus as a strong, long-term commitment to our customers in North America.”

The facility is now the world’s largest tilt wall building, according to the Tilt Wall Building Association. Nearing completion, Daikin Texas Technology Park will eventually encompass 4.1 million operational square feet — about the size of 74 football fields, end zones included.