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Johnson Controls announced that it will acquire Synchrony, a leader in the development of Active Magnetic Bearing (AMB) technology. Based in Roanoke, Virginia, Synchrony is part of Siemens Gas and Power.
The acquisition, which closed Nov. 1, will enable Johnson Controls to improve the performance of its centrifugal chiller products, which rely on magnetic bearings to boost energy efficiency, improve reliability and reduce maintenance costs, among other benefits.
“This acquisition will allow us to access untapped benefits in performance and efficiency that will competitively position our chiller products for years to come,” said Ian Casper, vice president, product engineering, global chiller products, Johnson Controls.
Casper added that magnetic bearing chillers are the fastest-growing chiller product family for Johnson Controls and that the HVACR industry is rapidly adopting AMB technology.
As part of the acquisition, Johnson Controls will obtain all of Synchrony’s products and intellectual property. In addition to magnetic bearings, those products include motors and drives, generators and advanced AMB monitoring software.
In 2016, Johnson Controls and Synchrony partnered to develop the YORK® YZ magnetic bearing centrifugal chiller. Launched in early 2018, the YZ is the first chiller fully optimized for ultimate performance, with a next generation low-global warming potential refrigerant, R-1233zd(E). Since its launch, the YZ chiller has won several industry awards, including the 2019 AHR Innovation Award in the cooling category
Terms of the acquisition were not disclosed.For more information about the Johnson Controls family of chiller products, go to https://www.johnsoncontrols.com/hvac-equipment#Chillers.
