Midea Expands Louisville R&D and Training Capabilities for HVAC, Water Solutions
Key Highlights
- Midea RAC has added a 16,000-square-foot laboratory and showroom space at its Louisville research center for residential HVAC and water solution development, testing and training
- The expanded facility supports work on all-climate heat pumps, the EVOX platform and Easy Upgrade solutions while giving distributors and contractors access to operational equipment for hands-on training
- Certified instructors can simulate system issues and service scenarios in a controlled environment
LOUISVILLE, KY — Midea Residential Air Conditioning (Midea RAC) is expanding its North American product development and training capabilities with new facilities dedicated to HVAC and water solutions at the Midea America Research Center (MARC) in Louisville, Kentucky.
The investment is part of the broader expansion of MARC, which now spans 157,000 square feet. For Midea RAC, the expansion includes a new 16,000-square-foot laboratory dedicated to product development and testing of residential HVAC and water solutions, along with a showroom designed to support product demonstrations and hands-on training.
Expanded Lab Supports North American Product Development
The expansion is the latest of Midea’s investments in North American HVAC R&D. MARC comprises a multidisciplinary team spanning market research and regulatory compliance, along with performance testing, structural engineering and IoT. Bringing these functions together supports the development of localized product solutions and professional services.
The expanded space gives Midea RAC’s engineering team additional resources to develop and test innovations for the North American market, including all-climate heat pump technologies and Midea’s growing EVOX platform. It also creates a dedicated environment where industry partners can gain hands-on experience with Midea equipment and Easy Upgrade solutions designed to simplify HVAC replacement and installation.
“Expanding our capabilities at MARC brings product development and industry education closer together,” said Chris Hoffmann, General Manager, Head of HVAC and Water Heating, North America, Midea America Corp. “Our team can work directly with the technology in the lab while giving our partners access to hands-on training that reflects the conditions they encounter in the field. That combination will help us better support distributors and contractors as we continue developing HVAC solutions for the North American market.”
MARC Connects Market Research With Engineering
“Connecting market research directly with engineering and validation at MARC helps our teams move more efficiently from an identified market need to a product designed for North American conditions,” said Adam Schultz, Executive Director of Midea America Research Center. “The expanded HVAC and water solutions capabilities give us more resources to localize technology for this market and continue building the engineering expertise behind it.”
The new space complements Midea’s additional training facility in Dallas and provides distributors with a dedicated location to bring contractor partners for training on Midea’s inverter-driven heat pump technologies, including the EVOX platform.
Midea’s dedicated training team delivers a suite of certified courses covering HVAC system application and installation. Training combines hands-on labs and real equipment instruction with live virtual classes, some of which are NATE-certified. Because the equipment is operational, instructors can simulate system issues and service scenarios in a controlled environment.
Training and R&D Give Contractors Hands-On Experience
Midea RAC also works with university and co-op programs to provide engineering students with experience alongside its Louisville-based team. Co-op students from local universities and schools across the country will gain exposure to heat pump product development in an active research environment.
MARC first opened in Louisville in 2015 and has since grown into an important US center for Midea’s engineering and product development work.
To learn more visit www.mideacomfort.us.