Originally posted on 3/7/22, this article was named one of The ACHR NEWS' top 5 articles for 2022.
The Daikin unitary, ductless, and light commercial (including VRV) products organization in North America is unifying its core Daikin, Goodman, and Amana HVAC brands under a new top level corporate name and structure – Daikin Comfort Technologies.
This name change and new structure aligns brand sales efforts and becomes effective April 1, 2022.
“We are uniting under a single name – Daikin Comfort Technologies – capturing a culture and identity that reflects one vision that will create an even stronger and more unified Daikin,” said Satoru Akama, chief executive officer for Daikin.
The company believes a more unified sales strategy can ensure that Daikin, Amana, or Goodman brand equipment can each be a compelling offering for major contractors to serve both premium and value customers.
“Daikin, Goodman, Amana, and Quietflex® will remain and play an important role in our brands for products in the future,” said Takayuki “Taka” Inoue, chief sales and marketing officer for Daikin. “Aligning our structure into a single business unit allows for collaboration, innovation, and agility internally, and very importantly, meets the needs of our customers.”
Within Daikin Comfort Technologies there is a newly formed group, the Environmental Promotion Office, led by Nathan Walker, SVP. The team will intensify Daikin’s focus on becoming the industry leader as an advanced environmental company. “It’s both an ambitious and attainable objective,” Akama said. “We are leveraging Daikin’s leadership in environmentally friendly indoor comfort technologies, such as our inverter and heat pump solutions.”
Daikin has already introduced low global warming potential (GWP) R-32 products. This new unit will facilitate wider usage of inverter, heat pump, and R-32 products throughout North America.
“Our operation in North America has more than doubled in revenue since the acquisition of Goodman and is now the largest of any Daikin entity in the world, making North America one of Daikin’s top priorities to invest in and grow,” said Inoue. “It also comes with a tremendous sense of responsibility to execute as one company and one culture.”
Current Daikin and Goodman sales and marketing functions will be consolidated into a single business unit, led by Inoue.
Senior vice president Ardee Toppe will manage all company sales of all brands. Toppe will lead four U.S. sales divisions in the U.S. and one in Canada. He will also be responsible for company owned distribution now called Daikin Comfort Technologies Distribution Inc., formerly known as Goodman Distribution, Inc.
Senior vice president Doug Widenmann will lead all areas of marketing, including channel strategy and development; traditional and digital marketing; product marketing; data and analytics; and warranty and pricing.
“By drawing upon the strength and skills of our incredible people, we can become ‘One Daikin’ under a single, focused vision featuring a core of powerful brands,” says Inoue. “We look forward to further sharing our mission to become the most environmentally advanced HVAC company in North America.”
