Corporate Partner News: Johnson Controls Celebrates 50th Anniversary

Posted on:

November 10, 2021

This year, ACCA Corporate Partner, Johnson Controls, celebrates the 50^th anniversary of their commercial HVAC manufacturing plant in Norman, OK. The 900,000-square-foot facility, also known as the Johnson Controls Rooftop Center of Excellence, serves as the flagship location for commercial rooftop unit research, manufacturing, and testing.

As the global leader in smart, healthy, and sustainable buildings for more than 135 years, Johnson Controls continues to deliver the blueprint of the future for industries such as healthcare, schools, data centers, airports, stadiums, and manufacturing. In 1971, the Norman facility, originally owned by Westinghouse from 1971-1981 then subsequently purchased by YORK in 1981 and was acquired by Johnson Controls in 2005, shipped its first HVAC system, a pivotal milestone for the manufacturing plant and the beginning of its long history of HVAC manufacturing and innovation. Over the last 50 years, the Norman facility continued to make improvements such as modernizing and improving the manufacturing plant, automating the manufacturing process, and improving the safety and quality standards of their products. These improvements ensure that all commercial rooftop units will meet and exceed DOE 2023 energy efficiency requirements and utilize R-454B by 2025 to minimize environmental impacts and energy use.

In April of 2019, the Norman facility underwent its most notable expansion, including renovations to more than 150,000-square-feet of office and meeting space. In addition, the renovation also features a 400,000-square-feet incremental laboratory space which includes a two-story, 52-foot-high testing lab that is roughly the size of a one-and-a-half football fields. The Norman facility allows Johnson Controls to conduct on-site development, regulatory compliance, performance, safety, and reliability testing, including the ability to test a 150-ton rooftop unit in climates ranging from -30°F to 130°F.

After Johnson Control began operations at the Norman facility, approximately 650,000 systems have been manufactured for the Johnson Controls, YORK, TempMaster, Luxaire, Coleman, Champion, and Fraser-Johnston brands. Additionally, the Norman facility has employed approximately 1,100 employees.