History of Johnson Controls - YORK Malaysia

History and Mission

Johnson Controls is the global leader in smart, healthy and sustainable buildings.  Johnson Controls’ mission is to reimagine the performance of buildings to serve people, places and the planet. With a history of more than 135 years, Johnson Controls has the widest portfolio of products, solutions and services for buildings – spanning HVAC&R, building controls, security, fire protection as well as the comprehensive suite of OpenBlue.

Johnson Controls has been steadily expanding its presence in Malaysia since one of its brands, YORK®, was first introduced into the country in 1978, a mere 15 years after the establishment of the Malaysian Federation in 1963. From a relatively small team during inception, Johnson Controls together with Johnson Controls-Hitachi Air Conditioning, have today over 1,100 employees. Johnson Controls’ products and solutions are installed in more than 35% of Malaysia’s commercial buildings, including Menara KL, KLCC, Sunway Pyramid, Sunway Velocity, Standard Chartered Bank and the country’s international airports, among others. In Sunway Pyramid, for example, Johnson Controls designed an integrated solution that optimized and managed the performance of the chillers, real-time information to reduce energy use and operation cost without sacrificing reliability.

YORK is known as a pioneer in air-conditioning technology, being the first to introduce variable speed drive centrifugal chillers. YORK offers a full range of air-conditioning products, from unitary products for the residential segment to high-end chillers for industrial use.

Johnson Controls’ Shah Alam factory, established in the 1970s, manufactures air handling and fan coil units for global customers. The facility is able to produce more than a thousand units of various sizes, standards and customizations annually.  Johnson Controls’ other facility in Bangi Industrial Estate, launched in 1990, manufactures products for over 39 export destinations globally. It can produce 400,000 room air conditioner sets and 700,000 units of compressors annually.
 
Johnson Controls’ partnership with MASHRAE over the past years has been instrumental for them in expanding their professional network as well as showcasing their products and solutions to their fellow industry partners and potential customers. Johnson Controls has also participated in various events and webinars organized by MASHRAE to share Johnson Controls’ expertise in chiller products and technologies.
3.3.4.2 Connected Chillers

Johnson Controls is disrupting the ways in which chillers are serviced and maintained. With the OpenBlue Planned Service Agreement connected chillers offering, Johnson Controls is able to remotely monitor chillers on a 24/7 basis, diagnose chiller operating conditions, predict faults and improve system availability using digital technology, thereby reducing the need for frequent visual inspection of chillers by on-site technicians.

Leveraging advanced Machine Learning and Artificial Intelligence-enabled analytics, Johnson Controls’ OpenBlue platform is able to track efficiency at the plant room level — beyond just monitoring the health of chillers. By proactively tracking the performance of whole system and individual assets like chillers linked with connected load and weather data, the OpenBlue platform generates in- depth insights that enable building owners and facilities managers to make data- driven decisions.

Anomalies affecting the chiller performance, such as approach temperatures, variation in operating thermodynamic parameters and blocked tubes, can be detected through remote tracking and attended to quickly, as opposed to detecting these irregularities only at pre- determined scheduled maintenance.  
With such detailed insights on the equipment, Johnson Controls has enabled customers to cut unplanned emergency repairs by 66% and shorten repair time by 65% on average. 

Sustainability in Malaysia

Johnson Controls is continuously improving its technology to reduce environmental impact. Johnson Controls’ portfolio of sustainability services and solutions is helping companies pursue net zero carbon goals. OpenBlue Net Zero Buildings is a proven path to decarbonize while optimizing building performance. 

Johnson Controls is making bold ESG commitments to meet the 1.5-degree Celsius climate goal. These include achieve net zero emissions by 2040, ten years ahead of the Paris Agreement.

Global commitments demand local action. In Malaysia, Johnson Controls is collaborating with partners to build a smart, resilient and sustainable future for the nation. Johnson Controls aim to reduce customers’ carbon emissions and also contributes in many other ways to help the community. Johnson Controls partnered with Zero Waste Malaysia to launch the country’s first extensive online trash encyclopedia to educate Malaysians on recycling and the importance of zero-waste alternatives. The interactive webpage offers concise information about whether an item can be recycled, where to send it for recycling and most importantly, alternatives to promote a zero-waste lifestyle. Johnson Controls’ leaders in the country are also regularly sought after to provide talks and seminars for industry events as well as for schools and universities to share expertise and experience in the field.

For more information about Johnson Controls and their products, solutions and services, visit www.johnsoncontrols.my or follow them at Johnson Controls Asia Pacific on LinkedIn.

The article was first published in the Roll of Honours & Luminaries for MASHRAE’s celebration of its 37th Anniversary.