The US company Carrier Global has bought the air conditioning division of the Hessian heating contractor Viessmann for the equivalent of twelve billion euros.
The new owner is “incomparably larger,” said climate researcher Alexander Gard Murray in an interview with the daily news.
The industry giant from the United States recently employed around 52,000 people and is a global player in the market.
Germany’s hope for the future in the heat pump business is moving to America. The US group Carrier Global swallows the air conditioning division of the traditional German company Viessmann for the equivalent of twelve billion euros. But what are the goals of the international company?
The former family business from Connecticut is now a global player in the heating systems business. Approximately 52,000 employees are said to be employed at Carrier Global all over the world, 14,500 were most recently at Viessmann in Hesse.
“Incomparably larger” is the US company based in Palm Beach, said Alexander Gard Murray, climate researcher at the renowned Brown University, in Interview with the ARD. Above all, the addition “global” is now the program: worldwide acquisitions from Asia to Europe confirm the expansion efforts of the giant.
Heat pumps are trending in the USA
According to the US researcher, heat pump technology is a major trend in the United States: in new buildings, the proportion has risen from less than a quarter in 2000 to 40 percent now. This confirms the need on the American market.
In addition, Viessmann can also meet German demand more cheaply thanks to the rise in new sales figures and simpler production conditions. In an interview with the US television channel CNBC, Viessmann boss Max Viessmann said that Carrier’s large production capacities and worldwide sales combined with German technology could form a new industry giant.
Climate researcher Murray sees no monopoly formation
The carrier deal could therefore have been a necessary next step for Viessmann to break into new spheres. The Inflation Reduction Act signed by US President Joe Biden in mid-August represents a “huge opportunity” for both companies to pool their strengths, Viessmann said.
With the law, Biden wants to counteract high inflation and promote climate protection in the USA. The sale also represents a possibly necessary alliance to get Europe out of the dependency lift from China. He also does not see a monopoly on the global market, said climate expert Murray.
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