Conditioning the Air

In the heart of Florida’s capital region, a quiet manufacturing transformation continues to take shape. The Danish company, Danfoss, and its growing campus in Tallahassee, is driven by energy efficiency, advanced engineering, and rising global demand for sustainable technologies. Through both its Turbocor manufacturing operation and its expanding Application Development Center in the Capital City, the company is a central player in this green-tech shift, helping position the region as an emerging hub for green technology innovation with international reach.

On December 9, 2025, Danfoss opened an additional testing chamber at its Tallahassee Application Development Center, or ADC. The new chamber is designed to test food retail and commercial refrigeration equipment using A3, A2L, or non-flammable refrigerants, which are increasingly required as energy efficiency standards and refrigerant regulations tighten worldwide. The expansion allows manufacturers to validate new designs more quickly at a time when speed to market has become critical.

The ADC is located in Innovation Park, near the National High Magnetic Field Laboratory and Florida State University’s research campus, placing it within one of the region’s most concentrated clusters of scientific research and advanced manufacturing. The facility was established to help customers and partners test new air-conditioning and cooling solutions and improve system performance in a live environment. While it primarily supports manufacturers throughout North and South America, it also provides global support for companies navigating complex regulatory and performance demands.

Photo by The Workmans

“Danfoss continues to invest in Tallahassee because it offers a unique environment for our technology,” says Frank Ford of Danfoss. “The Innovation Park campus develops strong engineering talent, a highly skilled manufacturing workforce, and close collaboration with neighbors such as the National High Magnetic Field Laboratory. These strengths allow us to scale production of our highly efficient oil-free magnetic bearing compressor technology from Tallahassee to support the rapidly growing global demand for high-performance cooling.”

Originally opened in 2017, the 23,700-square-foot ADC houses three fully automated psychrometric test systems capable of evaluating a wide range of equipment sizes and configurations. Testing capacities range from small residential systems to large commercial and industrial units, including air-cooled chillers up to 150 tons. The facility supports testing for residential air-conditioners, heat pumps, precision cooling for data centers, light and commercial rooftop systems, and chillers.

As regulatory requirements have evolved, the Tallahassee ADC has expanded its capabilities. Its test facilities meet all widely recognized industry standards, while also accommodating special testing requests. Temperature testing ranges have been extended beyond standard requirements, and the center can safely test systems using mildly flammable refrigerants, a growing necessity as manufacturers transition to potential alternatives with a lower environmental impact.

The ADC’s importance is amplified by its location next door to the Danfoss Turbocor facility, which produces oil-free compressor technology used in high-efficiency cooling systems worldwide. Danfoss Turbocor was the first company to commercialize oil-free magnetic bearing compressor technology for HVAC applications, and its Tallahassee operation has grown steadily since opening.

In 2024, Danfoss announced a major expansion of the Turbocor facility in Innovation Park, reinforcing the company’s long-term commitment to the region. The 155,000-square-foot expansion increased manufacturing capacity and added new jobs, supporting rising global demand for energy-efficient chillers used in commercial buildings, data centers, and industrial applications. The close proximity between Turbocor manufacturing and the ADC enables a high level of collaboration on oil-free and next-generation cooling solutions, strengthening Tallahassee’s role in global product development.

Photo by The Workmans

“The driving force is the rapid global growth in cooling demand, particularly from data centers, and the need to meet that demand efficiently and sustainably,” Ford says. “By expanding manufacturing and operations in Tallahassee, Danfoss can scale production of proven technologies like our Turbocor oil-free compressors that help customers worldwide grow responsibly while reducing energy use and emissions.”

Local business leaders say the continued growth of Danfoss reflects the type of industrial innovation shaping the region’s future.

“Danfoss is operating squarely at the intersection of technology and manufacturing innovation in our region,” says Michael Dalby, president and CEO of the Greater Tallahassee Chamber of Commerce. “Their use of and engagement with the research happening through Florida State University and Innovation Park are the model for how we see Tallahassee’s economy growing in the decades to come.”

The company’s long-term presence has also created ripple effects across the local economy.

“As Danfoss has grown, other companies like ours have grown with them,” says Clayton Wells, director of construction for Sperry Construction, which has helped build out the Danfoss campus over the past two decades and oversaw construction of the newest manufacturing facility. “We’ve helped them build out their campus project by project, and every time they call us, we know more innovation and more jobs are coming to our city.”

That broader impact extends beyond the Danfoss campus itself.

“Danfoss is a powerful job creator in our community,” says Eddie Gonzalez Loumiet, chair of the Greater Tallahassee Chamber of Commerce. “Their continued investments in green-tech manufacturing are creating jobs on their campus and around it. From construction to research and visiting partners, the impact goes far beyond just their team members. Our aim is to help them at every turn and tell that story, so other similar companies can build from their success model.”

Together, the ADC expansion and the growth of Danfoss Turbocor reflect broader changes underway in the HVAC and refrigeration industries. As equipment tested and manufactured in Innovation Park is deployed in grocery stores, warehouses, office buildings, and data centers across the Americas and beyond, Tallahassee is increasingly demonstrating how local innovation, global exports, and sustainability-focused manufacturing can grow together. ▪