Carel opens 4,500m2 knowledge centre

ITALY: Controls manufacturer Carel has officially opened its new 4,500m² knowledge centre, home to the group’s thermodynamic research operations, technical training and promotion of its solutions.

Built with a total investment of more than €10m, the centre covers two floors. The ground floor is home to a 1,200m² laboratory for applied research projects on units such as heat pumps, air handling units and refrigerated display cases. It includes three climatic chambers certified for the use of flammable refrigerants and capable of replicating outdoor or indoor environmental conditions. 

There is also a prototype testing cabin, and a machine assembly area equipped with hydrogen welding systems. The top floor is devoted to education, dissemination and training. It includes a conference room and a showroom with Carel’s products and solutions for visitors, as well as four training rooms featuring the latest technology, one of which specifically for technical-practical training on humidification systems. 

Both floors are said to be designed to ensure environmental sustainability and user comfort, with lighting and air conditioning systems coordinated by the group’s own products and special attention to indoor air quality.

When at full capacity, the knowledge centre will employ around 20 people, including 14 in the research laboratory. The building also houses the new company canteen, with space for around 400 people per day.

The official opening ceremony was attended by the group’s president Luigi Rossi Luciani, vice president Luigi Nalini, as well as CEO Francesco Nalini and keynote speaker Mattia Crespi, academic and research associate at the Institute for the Future in Palo Alto and CEO of Qbit Technologies Inc.