“We are proud to expand our presence in the Grand Rapids area and deepen our commitment to being a destination employer for the region’s rich pool of high-quality, highly skilled talent,” said Jim Steele, Grand Rapids facility manager, Commercial HVAC Americas, Trane Technologies. “Our commercial business is growing and this facility expansion is just one of the many ways we are working to meet the demand we are experiencing. We are also proud to support the local community — the first product off the new line was installed in nearby Zeeland East High School.”

The company established its manufacturing presence in Grand Rapids in 1998 to take advantage of the area’s highly skilled workforce, the press release said. In 2021, a second plant was opened to focus on manufacturing air-cooled chillers for data centers and other large applications, such as hospitals, municipalities, and universities.

The recent addition of a third plant to produce Ascend air-cooled chillers essentially doubles Trane's air-cooled chiller manufacturing capability in Grand Rapids and nearly quadruples the site’s total manufacturing footprint. Approximately 50 people are employed at the newest facility, bringing Trane’s manufacturing workforce close to 300 across the three locations, the company said. These numbers are expected to continue to grow to meet increasing demand.

In addition to its long record of providing a safe work environment for its employees, the Grand Rapids facility was able to divert all waste from landfills beginning in 2021, when all non-recyclable trash was sent to a refuse-derived fuel facility and used to generate electricity, the company said. The facility has also upgraded its HVAC, roofing, and lighting systems for improved energy efficiency and a brighter, more evenly lit working environment, the company said.