Fluorocarbon gas was produced for the first time in Japan

This achievement was crucial for Daikin to become a leading air conditioning manufacturer, making us the only company in the world to develop and produce both air conditioning equipment and refrigerant.

First refrigeration unit with fluorocarbon gas was delivered

In the wake of our research on fluorocarbon refrigerants, Japan introduced its first air-conditioned train for the Nankai Electric Railway in 1936. This introduction was followed by another milestone in 1938: We delivered the 'Mifujirator', Japan's first refrigeration unit using fluorocarbon refrigerant, to the Kure Naval Arsenal.

In the 1930s, a wave of innovation swept across the globe. One notable example was the commencement of the Golden Gate Bridge's construction in 1933 to connect San Francisco to Marin County. By 1937, the bridge was finished, boasting the world's longest suspension span at that time. 

Source: https://www.goldengate.org/bridge/history-research/bridge-construction/

"Mifujirator" – the first packaged air conditioner became a game-changer

The 'Mifujirator,' the inaugural packaged air conditioner, revolutionized the industry by simplifying the entire process from design to operation through turn-key operation, achieved by automatic control of the compressor, condenser, and fan. Before its introduction, conventional air conditioning systems demanded high levels of expertise and technical skill. The news of this newfound convenience quickly spread, propelling the packaged air conditioner to unprecedented success.

In America, the UNIVAC I (Universal Automatic Computer), produced by Remington Rand, was delivered to the US Census Bureau, marking the beginning of the commercial electronic computing era. For several years, the term 'UNIVAC' was used synonymously with all computers, representing the first global deployment of a commercially manufactured computer. 

Source: https://www.census.gov/history/www/innovations/technology/univac_i.html?CID=CBSM+History

Onset of Daikin’s pioneering heat pump technology

With the introduction of the first packaged air conditioner utilizing heat pump technology, we laid the foundation for our current leadership position in energy-efficient and environmentally-friendly heating and cooling solutions.

In the same year, the Atomium, a magnified image of an alpha iron crystal 150 billion times, became the symbol of the World Exhibition in Brussels, marking the first exhibition since the end of World War II with the motto "Technology in the Service of Man. Progress for Humanity through Technological Progress".

Source: https://www.atomium.be/discover

Large-scale production of commercial air conditioners commenced

By establishing the Kanaoka Factory in the Sakai Plant in Osaka, Japan, the foundation for the full-scale production of commercial air conditioners was laid. Later, in 1966, the production of centrifugal chillers began at the Kanaoka Factory.

Also in 1963, Osaka Kinzoku Kogyo Co., Ltd. was renamed Daikin Kogyo Co., Ltd., and later, in 1982, it was renamed Daikin Industries, Ltd., which stands as the global group’s present designation. By the way, "DAI" means "O" and stands for Osaka, and "KIN" stands for "Kinzoku," which means metal.

Daikin's entry to Europe originated from the tiny island Malta

In Japan, mass production of air conditioning had begun in the early 1960s, but it was another five years before the stage was set for Daikin's introduction to Europe.

In 1966, Englishman Richard Higgs, who ran a home appliance store, had tried to set up a manufacturing plant for Hitachi in Malta. When this endeavor failed, Higgs sought another brand to distribute and approached Daikin, which led to the formation of Daikin Airconditioning Corporation Ltd. in 1967. To take on the European market, Higgs employed Ali Rashidi, later to become sales and marketing director for Daikin in Europe.

While Daikin entered Europe, American astronauts Neil Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin made history on June 20, 1969, by becoming the first people to walk on the moon. Armstrong uttered the famous words, “That's one small step for man, one giant leap for mankind.”

The Apollo 11 mission happened eight years after President John F. Kennedy set the goal of landing a person on the moon by the end of the 1960s. 

Source: https://www.bbc.co.uk/newsround/48789792

Made in Europe with Japanese excellence

Within the first years in Europe, Daikin discovered that Malta was less favorable due to its exclusion from the European Economic Community (EEC) trading block and its distance from the main European markets.

The search for the right location led the Japanese manufacturer to Belgium. In January 1973, we opened a 5,000 m2 assembly plant on a 73,000 m2 plot in Ostend, Belgium, where assembly began for small-capacity packaged air conditioners and water-cooled chillers.

In 1972, Daikin Europe N.V. was established as a legal entity in Ostend with the explicit goal of developing, manufacturing, and introducing HVAC products made in Europe.

In 1973, Motorola demonstrated the first-ever portable cellular telephone, but it was not available for purchase. Technology enthusiasts had to wait until 1984 when the DynaTAC 8000x was launched, priced at $3,995.

Sources: https://www.motorola.com/us/about/motorola-history-milestones, https://www.mobilephonemuseum.com/phone-detail/dynatac-8000x

Word‘s first VRV unit launched in Japan

Daikin’s new VRV (Variable Refrigeration Volume) system provided an energy-efficient and flexible solution for individual air conditioning of only occupied rooms in small or medium sized buildings.

Later, in 1988, the technologically advanced VRV system was introduced to European markets, being the world's first multi-indoor air conditioner for commercial buildings based on direct expansion (DX).

In 1982, the popular Commodore 64, an 8-bit home computer with 64 KB of RAM, was introduced by Commodore International to the market. For a long time, it was considered the best-selling home computer worldwide, with estimates of sales figures ranging between 12.5 and 30 million units.

Source: https://commodorehistory.com

First online diagnostic system available 24/7

This solution, also known as the "Air Conditioning Network Service System," was launched in Japan to monitor the operational status of our commercial multi-split air conditioning systems. In the event of a malfunction, a Daikin service engineer would typically arrive to provide customer service within two hours, even during nights or holidays.

In 1990, the Internet- and Software-centric century kicked off with 2.3 million users on the Internet. By 2023, this figure had reached 5.4 billion.

Sources: https://blog.wiwo.de/look-at-it/2021/08/12/vom-industriezeitalter-bis-kuenstlicher-intelligenz-die-6-innovations-zyklen-der-letzten-250-jahre/, https://www.statista.com/statistics/617136/digital-population-worldwide/

World's first mass production of the refrigerant R-32

Daikin established the world's first R-32 mass production plant and started R&D into the application of this refrigerant in heating and cooling systems.

Later in 2012, we were the first to bring to market a residential air conditioner with R-32. The refrigerant R-32 has a lower Global Warming Potential (GWP) of 675 and makes systems very energy efficient. This innovation was a great step forward in the reduction of carbon emissions from air conditioning equipment. Daikin has since made several of its patents publicly available to promote the adoption of the refrigerant with lower GWP.

Also in 1997, the revolutionary swing compressor, another Daikin first, was launched on the European market.

Released in Japan in 1997, the Toyota Prius became the world’s first mass-produced hybrid electric vehicle. But it wasn't until the early 2010s, with the rise of Tesla, that electric cars gained widespread commercial success.

Sources: https://www.energy.gov/articles/history-electric-car, https://www.toyota-global.com/company/history_of_toyota/75years/

“Ururu Sarara” became the world's first split system with built-in humidification

Humidification was achieved without supplying water by extracting moisture from the outside air. This revolutionary air conditioner consolidated Daikin technologies to improve comfort and has since become a flagship product for the company.

Expansion of production in Europe 

In 2004, Daikin opened its second production facility in Europe, centrally located in Pilsen, in the Czech Republic. The main products made by its 1,200 employees were small residential air conditioners.

Two years later in 2006, Daikin Device Czech Republic was established in Brno as a production base for air conditioner compressors.

Daikin fully entered the heating market

Since the launch of the iconic air-to-water heat pump Daikin Altherma in 2006, Daikin has become the number one manufacturer of hydronic heat pumps in Europe.

"ALTHERMA" signifies "ALL-THERMAL," providing year-round heating, hot water supply, and cooling, and "ALTERNATIVE," as it replaces traditional combustion systems.

Just one year later, in 2007, Apple® launched the iPhone combining three products: a revolutionary mobile phone, a widescreen iPod® with touch controls, and a breakthrough Internet communications with desktop-class email, web browsing, searching and maps device into one small and lightweight handheld device.

Source: https://www.apple.com/newsroom/2007/01/09Apple-Reinvents-the-Phone-with-iPhone/

With “Daikin Altherma LT“ the company was the first manufacturer to receive the Eco-label for heat pumps

While we received the Eco-label for the Daikin Altherma LT, also in 2009, the EU officially recognised caloric (heat) energy from air as a renewable energy source for heating. Heat pump technology makes use of this energy to provide energy efficient heating.

In the same year, further high-end innovations like Daikin Emura, Daikin Altherma Monobloc and Daikin Altherma HT (high-temperature) were launched.

Airfel becomes Daikin Turkey

In 2011, Turkish heating and air-conditioning manufacturer Airfel joins Daikin and becomes Daikin Turkey. The team rapidly grew from 200 to 1,750 colleagues today.  

Inaugural launch of "Ururu Sarara Bluevolution"

This first unit utilizing refrigerant R-32, marked a breakthrough in residential air-to-air heat pumps in Europe. This innovative system seamlessly integrated A+++ air conditioning, humidification, dehumidification, and fresh-air ventilation. Notably, it received the prestigious Reddot Design Award in 2013.

New production site in the Middle East

The same year, in Dubai, Daikin opened its first Air Handling Unit factory in the Middle East.

McQuay Italia becomes Daikin Applied Europe

Based in Ariccia, near Rome in Italy, the subsidiary of Daikin Industries represents the competence center in Europe for the design and production of chillers, commercial heat pumps, air handling units, compressors, and inverter drives.

In 2024, its product portfolio ranges from 10 to 11,000 kW cooling capacity and from 200 to 144,000 m3/h of air flow for ventilation. The company has three manufacturing sites in Italy.

Expansion of Daikin's refrigeration portfolio

In the 2000s, Daikin Europe began diversifying its offerings with dedicated commercial refrigeration products. The launch of Convini-pack in 2007 marked the beginning of this expansion.

With the vision to provide solutions for the full cold chain, the group acquired several refrigeration companies, such as Zanotti in 2016 for transport refrigeration, Hubbard in 2016, and Tewis in 2018 to extend our commercial refrigeration solutions. In 2019, AHT Cooling Systems, focusing on plug-in refrigeration solutions for food retail chains, joined the Daikin Europe group.

The latest innovations in 2023 came with the Daikin Inverter Monoblock as an eco-friendly refrigeration solution for commercial cold rooms, and the new trailer refrigeration unit Exigo for trucks.

“Stand by me,“ Daikin‘s first consumer portal, was launched

This platform includes all essential information about the installed system, consolidating everything related to the warranty in one place. It also provides information about the respective service partner who is available to address any questions or issues regarding the system.

The first of many Daikin B2C Experience Centers opened in Vienna

Since then, in Austria, consumers have been able to receive expert advice on the latest heat pumps and air conditioning solutions for new builds and renovations, and buy directly from the manufacturer.

Today, there are eleven B2C Experience Centers across various European countries, where homeowners can experience low-carbon heating and cooling solutions directly from Daikin experts. 

ROTEX Güglingen becomes Daikin Manufacturing Germany

The German heating manufacturer ROTEX Heating Systems was acquired in 2008 and renamed Daikin Manufacturing Germany in 2020. The expansion of three new production lines will more than triple the factory output by 2025.

During the first year of the Corona pandemic, Fusion25, our five-year business strategy, was developed to establish Total Solutions Business, enhance customer centricity, and strengthen our position as a leader in decarbonizing heating and cooling in Europe.

In December 2020, the World Health Organization (WHO) listed the first mRNA vaccine for emergency use since the outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic. 

Source: https://www.who.int/news/item/31-12-2020-who-issues-its-first-emergency-use-validation-for-a-covid-19-vaccine-and-emphasizes-need-for-equitable-global-access

Your Daikin World, the company‘s first B2B experience center, opened its doors in Vienna

Your Daikin World is a co-creation space for our partners to experience climate solutions for hotels, retail, offices, or large commercial applications.

At this location they also find one of the 116 cutting-edge Daikin training centers in the EMEA region. These centers offer our installation and service partners state-of-the-art training to always equip them with new knowledge and skills for top-notch service to our customers.

Garitage Park: Daikin’s largest total solutions project in the CE-region

Garitage Park, a multi-use office and residential complex in Sofia, Bulgaria, is the largest Daikin project in Central Europe to date and the first of its kind in the region to have received a BREEAM Excellent certification. Daikin ensures the best possible climate for work, life, and play for this total solution HVAC project while avoiding the use of gas - on a site the size of over 23 football pitches (167.000m2).

Be inspired by one of the many total solutions projects realized by us and watch the video.

All time high with record sales

Daikin Industries Ltd. achieved a record-breaking milestone with a sales turnover of 28.2 billion euros at the end of the fiscal year 2022, marking the highest-ever group result in our history. This outstanding accomplishment was propelled by the increasing demand for low-carbon heating, cooling, and refrigeration solutions and the dedication of over 96,000 Daikin employees.

In the same year, we began expanding production capacities in our heat pump factories in Belgium, Germany, the Czech Republic, and Turkey. Additionally, we announced the construction of the largest residential heat pump factory in Europe, located in Lodz, Poland. We inaugurated a second Air Handling Unit factory in the Middle East, in Saudi Arabia.

In November 2022, ChatGPT was launched by OpenAI and had 5 million users after five days. The chatbot - which is based on a 300 billion words database and 175 billion parameters - interacts with its users in a conversational way. The dialogue format makes it possible for the AI model to answer follow-up questions, admit its mistakes, challenge incorrect premises, and reject inappropriate requests.

Sources: https://openai.com/blog/chatgpt, https://www.tooltester.com/en/blog/chatgpt-statistics/, https://www.forbes.com/sites/bernardmarr/2023/05/19/a-short-history-of-chatgpt-how-we-got-to-where-we-are-today/?sh=6992a66b674f