Corporate-news-Daikin’s-Polish-heat-pump-factory-investment-recognised-by-Financial-Times’-fDi-Intelligence
PDF | 387.44KB
Corporate news / Brussels, 20 March 2026 – Daikin has received the “Investment Impact Award” for its EUR 300 million investment in its residential heat pump production site in Poland. The award, presented by fDi Intelligence, a division of The Financial Times, recognises Europe’s most impactful foreign direct investment projects. The investment reinforces Europe’s role as a manufacturing hub in line with the EU-aligned industrial policy.
Strategic clean-heating technologies are produced in Europe, reducing import dependence and transport intensity, strengthening supply security, and supporting the EU’s decarbonisation objectives by lowering household emissions. The award ceremony took place on 10 March 2026 in Cannes (France).
Inaugural awards by Financial Times fDi division
fDi Intelligence is a division of The Financial Times Ltd, specialising in foreign direct investment (FDI) analysis and data on cross-border expansion and investment trends. The inaugural fDi Intelligence Investment Impact Awards recognise investment projects that deliver transformative impact at both local and national level across Europe. Selected from 106 submissions, the awards honour locations and organisations whose initiatives generate meaningful impact, including innovation, high‑quality job creation, sustainability, community benefit, and alignment with national investment strategies.
Daikin Manufacturing Poland recognized with the fDi Investment Impact Award 2026 from the Financial Times at the award ceremony on 10 March 2026 in Cannes, France
Daikin Manufacturing Poland named winner of the “Operational mid-sized projects” category
Daikin was recognized in the “Operational mid-sized projects” category for its EUR 300 million investment in its 320,000 m² factory in Ksawerów, located in the central Polish Łódź region. The category covers investments ranging from USD 50 to 500 million.
“Daikin deliberately chose Poland as the location for its largest heat pump manufacturing site. Situated in the heart of central Poland, the site benefits from strong logistics, direct access to EU markets and well‑established supplier bases. This enables shorter supply chains and resilient, market‑oriented manufacturing. We are proud that our commitment to ‘Made in Europe’, through a new residential heat pump production site in Poland, has been recognised with the fDi Investment Impact Award 2026 from the Financial Times.” Yasuto Hiraoka, Managing Director, Daikin Manufacturing Poland
Daikin’s proximity strategy aligned with EU industrial policy
Daikin’s factory is the biggest foreign investment in recent years in the Łódź region, underscoring the company’s long-term commitment to Europe as an industrial location. It forms a cornerstone of Daikin’s long-standing proximity strategy, under which the company designs and manufactures heating, cooling, ventilation and refrigeration (HVAC-R) solutions close to the European market. As of 2026, Daikin operates 12 HVAC-R manufacturing sites across Europe, complemented by its European R&D centre for heat-pump and refrigeration technology in Ghent, Belgium. The proximity-based manufacturing and R&D approach aligns with EU industrial policy by localising strategic clean-heating technologies, strengthening supply security and reducing dependence on extra-EU imports and long-distance transport.
Accelerating Europe’s transition to efficient heating solutions
As a landmark clean-technology investment, Daikin’s new heat pump manufacturing plant in Poland supports Europe’s transition towards efficient, low-carbon heating. The high‑efficiency heat pumps produced at the site enable households to replace oil- and gas-based boilers, contributing directly to EU decarbonisation targets and lower residential emissions. The additional production capacity strengthens Daikin’s ability to meet growing demand for residential heat pumps across the EU and to support exports throughout the European market, reinforcing the company’s role as a key contributor to Europe’s energy transition.
The facility also sets a benchmark for high environmental and technological standards in industrial construction. As production scales up, the development of local supply chains is expected to create additional circular‑economy opportunities, including component refurbishment and repair channels that are characteristic of HVAC‑R systems.
Gain more insights about the winners in each category:
- fDi’s Investment Impact Awards | Operational projects winners 2026
- About Investment Impact Awards 2026
- Recent Green Building award win for Daikin’s Poland factory
Explore more about Daikin's manufacturing footprint in Europe (dowload below):
- Factsheet Daikin Made in Europe: HVAC-R manufacturing footprint in Europe
- Factsheet Daikin Europe R&D Center in Ghent: the global R&D hub for heat pump and refrigeration technology
Copyrights pictures: Daikin
About
100+ years Daikin
The story of Daikin has always been shaped by groundbreaking ideas, technological innovations, and dedicated people. It began in 1924 when the young Japanese engineer Akira Yamada founded an enterprise in Osaka to manufacture aircraft radiators with a 15-member team. More than 100 years later, the Daikin Industries group brings future-proof solutions for heating, cooling, ventilation, air purification, and refrigeration (HVAC-R) to global markets. 103,500 employees in 173 countries continue the company's legacy of leading technologies to advance low carbon heating and cooling, while ensuring the highest level of comfort.
Read more on 100 Years Daikin
Daikin Industries Ltd.
Daikin Industries is a global leader in heat pump, air conditioning and air filtration technology, employing more than 103,500 people. Founded in Osaka in 1924, it is the only manufacturer in the world that develops and manufactures HVAC-R equipment, compressors and refrigerants in-house. Daikin has been recognized as one of the world’s top 100 most innovative companies by Clarivate (UK) and LexisNexis (USA) for its leadership in technology research and intellectual property patents. For its fiscal year 2024 (1 April 2024 – 31 March 2025) Daikin reported a record sales result of 28,98 billion euro sales.
Read more on www.daikin.com
Daikin Europe N.V.
The Daikin Europe group is a leading provider of heating, cooling, ventilation, air purification and refrigeration technology across Europe, the Middle East, and Africa. Daikin Europe caters to a diverse customer base within the region by designing, manufacturing, and marketing an extensive range of products, maintenance services, and turnkey solutions tailored for residential, commercial, and industrial applications. The group employs over 13,800 people across more than 56 subsidiaries and operates 15 manufacturing sites in Europe (12), Turkey (1) and the Middle East (2). Refrigeration products from Daikin include the brands Daikin, Tewis, Zanotti, Hubbard, and AHT. Headquartered in Ostend, Belgium, for over 50 years, the Daikin Europe group is a subsidiary of Daikin Industries Ltd.
Read more on www.daikin.eu
Daikin Airconditioning Central Europe
Daikin Airconditioning Central Europe, founded in 1999 with its headquarters in Vienna, Austria, operates as a subsidiary of Daikin Europe. Its portfolio includes products and total solutions for heating, cooling, ventilation, air purification, and refrigeration in residential, commercial, and industrial settings. With over 700 employees and 3,400 partners, the company manages sales and service activities across 16 countries in Central and Eastern Europe, including Austria, Albania, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Bulgaria, Croatia, the Czech Republic, Hungary, Kosovo, Montenegro, Moldova, North Macedonia, Poland, Romania, Serbia, Slovakia, and Slovenia.
With 'Your Daikin World' at the Vienna headquarters and the 'Daikin Inspiration Park' in Warsaw, the HVAC-R industry and the construction sector have access to two state-of-the-art B2B-experience centers for co-creating customized solutions for hotels, retail, offices, and large commercial applications. Daikin runs ten out of 141 B2B-training centers across the EMEA region in the CE-region. Consumers and homeowners receive consultations at four B2C-Experience centers in Vienna, Belgrade, Bratislava and Budapest.
Read more on www.daikin-ce.com
Media contact
Doris Passler
Manager Corporate Communications Central Europe
Daikin Airconditioning Central Europe HandelsgmbH
Lemböckgasse 59/1/1, 1230 Vienna, Austria
T: +43 (0) 664 24 56 444
M: passler.d@daikin.at
