Emerson Marks 100 Years of Air Conditioning, Heating and Refrigeration Innovation Through Its Copeland™ Technology

Reinforcing its commitment to continue Copeland innovation and intense focus on solving critical customer problems, Emerson completed a multimillion-dollar expansion of its Copeland engineering facility in Sidney, Ohio. This investment created 110,000 square feet of new engineering lab space for product research, development and testing of the next generation of compressors, electronics and other critical technologies for the global heating, ventilation, air conditioning and refrigeration (HVACR) industry. Much of the work in the Sidney labs focuses on innovative compressor technologies that enable more environmentally responsible refrigerants with lower global warming potential (GWP) to meet and exceed efficiency standards and regulations while empowering success in customer designs. This investment is the latest addition to Emerson’s global network of R&D and customer solutions centers, including in Germany, USA and China, which fuel innovation and digital transformation across multiple industries and applications.  

Based in Aachen, Germany, the state-of-the-art Emerson Europe Solution centre develops integrated solutions to address market challenges. The engineering team offers deep expertise in key disciplines: from analytical engineering over system design optimization to advanced electronics. A close collaboration with our customers and a world class design and testing infrastructure are the key success factors for our inventiveness and the development of game-changing technologies.

The 600 square-meter facility features a laboratory in which multiple designs, technologies, and components can be tested under real-world conditions.

“The Copeland brand has a proud legacy and even brighter future,” said Jamie Froedge, executive president of Emerson’s Commercial & Residential Solutions business. “Air conditioning and refrigeration technologies are increasingly crucial and necessary foundations of daily life around the world. Through our Copeland brand and our inventive approach, Emerson is using our stewardship position and deep history in this space to drive innovation for a more sustainable world.”

The Copeland brand traces its history to inventor Edmund Copeland, who founded a company in Detroit, Mich., in 1921 to transform the refrigeration industry with his unique inventions. When the business faced challenges during the Great Depression, its assets were sold and the operations were relocated to Sidney, Ohio in 1937. In Sidney, four of the company’s enterprising young engineers envisioned the future of possibilities and purchased the business and its compressor patent. When Emerson acquired Copeland in 1986, it continued to honor the spirit of enterprise and inventiveness embodied by the brand’s early founder and champions.

Emerson made significant investments in the development of a new scroll compressor product Copeland was working on at the time of the acquisition and, in 1987, introduced the first scroll compressor sold under the Copeland brand. The success of the product helped revolutionize the air conditioning and refrigeration industries worldwide with highly efficient, reliable performance, leading to the introduction of a family of Copeland scroll compressors for applications ranging from residential and light commercial air conditioning over heating to refrigeration systems for the food and healthcare industries and marine containers.

Emerson remains committed to the continuous innovation of the Copeland portfolio of products and related technologies, driving sustainable solutions that improve efficiency, reduce emissions and conserve resources. In addition to Copeland scroll compressors, Emerson designs, manufactures and markets a full range of Copeland semi-hermetic compressors and condensing units, for commercial refrigeration applications. Many Copeland products are also equipped with smart features to provide advanced monitoring and protection, diagnostics, power consumption measurements and communications capabilities. 

From research and development, design and engineering, to advanced testing and manufacturing at innovation centers and plant locations across the globe, the Copeland brand is positioned to continue its path of inventiveness, meeting the unique needs of each regional market.

For more information about Copeland compressors, visit climate.emerson.com/en-gb/brands/copeland or climate.emerson.com/en-gb.