Vaillant Group invests €54 million in Research and Development Centre

Remscheid, 20 November 2015

• Close interlocking of production and development at Remscheid headquarters

• Fast and agile product development close to the market

In Remscheid, the headquarters of the heating, ventilation and air-conditioning technology specialist Vaillant Group, a new Research and Development Centre will arise by 2018. The total investment in building the centre is about €54 million. The Vaillant Group is thus strengthening its development and production competence for high-efficiency technologies, multifunctional systems and digital services. For this purpose the company recently also invested about €10 million in expansion of its electronics production in Remscheid.

The Research and Development Centre is arising directly next to the product manufacture in Remscheid. It will consist of a test and two innovation centres in which a team of more than 500 employees will work together on the development of technologies of the future. That also includes all employees involved in product development in the Purchasing, Quality, Supply Chain, Industrial Engineering and Design departments. Thus, for the first time, all specialist departments that contribute to the development process will work in a centre directly next to each other. This means the new Research and Development Centre will be the central interface between product development and series production. The aim in Remscheid is to interlock the manufacture of technologically demanding products and their development closely together.

The design of the R&D centre is based on the latest scientific knowledge. Short paths, teams working across functions and improved communication between all departments involved in the development process are to further optimise project workflows and promote networked activity.

“The close cooperation of all employees involved in the development process will enable us to shorten innovation cycles further and align the product and technology development close to the market,” says Vaillant Group Managing Director Technology Dr Norbert Schiedeck. “In terms of content this means a consistent alignment of the development activities on high-efficiency technologies – especially heat pumps, efficient gas-fired condensing technology, technically complex system solutions, smart control technology and digital services. Our aim is to take a leading role in all these sectors in the European market.”

With about 700 employees, the Vaillant Group already has one of the largest international development teams in the heating, ventilation and air-conditioning technology industry. The company is currently working on more than 100 research and development projects. In all, the Vaillant Group holds almost 2,000 patents. As part of the Group-wide growth initiatives the company also plans to strengthen development further with more personnel.

“The bundling of central development activities and concentration of the production of technologically demanding products at one site is a clear commitment to our company headquarters in Remscheid,” Dr Schiedeck adds. “We are developing Remscheid as the Vaillant Group site with the greatest technical expertise for future-oriented technologies. Thus Remscheid has a key role for the long-term competitiveness of the entire corporate group.”

About Vaillant

The Vaillant Group is an internationally active company based in Remscheid, Germany, which operates in the fields of heating, ventilation and air-conditioning technology. As one of the global market and technology leaders, the Vaillant Group develops and manufactures customised products, systems and services to provide a comfortable living environment. Its product portfolio ranges from efficient heating devices based on conventional energy sources to system solutions for using renewable energy. In the financial year 2020, the company, which has been family-owned since its foundation in 1874, generated sales of more than €2.7 billion with its workforce of about 15,000.