Johnson Controls, Milwaukee, Wisconsin, has announced that it will acquire Synchrony, Roanoke, Virginia – an active magnetic bearing (AMB) technology developer. Synchrony was part of the Siemens Gas and Power line.
The acquisition closed on Nov. 1 and will enable Johnson Controls to improve the performance of its centrifugal chiller products, which rely on magnetic bearings to boost energy efficiency, improve reliability and reduce maintenance costs. “This acquisition will allow us to access untapped benefits in performance and efficiency that will competitively position our chiller products for years to come,” said Ian Casper, vice president, product engineering, global chiller products, Johnson Controls.
Casper added that magnetic bearing chillers are the fastest-growing chiller product family for Johnson Controls and that the HVAC/R industry is rapidly adopting AMB technology.
As part of the acquisition, Johnson Controls will obtain all of Synchrony’s products and intellectual property. This includes motors and drives, generators and AMB monitoring software.
Johnson Controls and Synchrony partnered to develop the York YZ magnetic bearing centrifugal chiller. Since its launch, it has won several industry awards, including the 2019 AHR Innovation Award in the cooling category. York is a division of Johnson Controls.