On a winning streak …
Daikin is on a winning streak in Flanders, to say the least. In 2019, the Japanese multinational received Flanders Investment & Trade’s prestigious Lifetime Achievement Trophy, highlighting the company’s 45-year track record of continuous investments in Flanders. Ever since Daikin first set foot in the region in 1973, innovation has always been key. Over the years, the company has become the biggest employer in the coastal city of Ostend (West Flanders), where Daikin Europe’s EMEA headquarters is located.
Meanwhile, Daikin’s research departments in Ostend and Ghent are bursting at the seams. Consequently, the company is investing EUR 140 million to centralize its R&D activities in Ghent, where it will fully benefit from Flanders’ innovation-driven economy. This new project is yet another addition to a series of substantial investments in the region. In 2016, for instance, the Japanese air-conditioning giant channeled EUR 25.5 million into its activities in Flanders – part of which went to building two ultra-modern testing rooms at its R&D center. This investment led to a nomination for Flanders’ 2017 Foreign Investment of the Year Trophy.
