New Clivet factory dedicated to the European market

Production has begun at Clivet’s new plant in Feltre, dedicated to the manufacture of heat pumps and high-efficiency air-conditioning solutions for commercial applications using natural refrigerants. The result of a 24 million investment, the facility covers an area of 14,000 square metres, strengthens the local industrial supply chain and currently employs 80 staff, 50 of whom work in production whilst the remainder are office staff, and plans for further recruitment have already been drawn up in line with market growth. “The opening of the new Feltre plant represents a strategic step in Clivet’s growth trajectory,” said Stefano Bellò, Chairman and CEO of Clivet. “We have chosen to invest in our local area to ensure the timely development of the solutions demanded by the European market, to increase production capacity in both heating and cooling technologies, and to provide customers and partners with systems that combine comfort, energy efficiency and sustainability.”

The plant represents another step in the expansion programme that Clivet is spearheading within MBT Climate, the European division and ‘house of brands’ of Midea Building Technologies (Midea Group), which first led to the creation of the Innovation Centre in Padua – an international hub for research and development in the HVAC market (heating, ventilation and air conditioning), which was inaugurated last summer, and now to the new plant in Feltre, which represents the industrial development supporting the ambitious European targets for carbon neutrality and sustainability. ‘In terms of production capacity, the new plant, when operating at full capacity, will be able to produce 8,800 units per year, doubling the current capacity for these specific product lines,’ continues Bellò. The strong demand for Clivet products in the commercial sector and the development of new markets on the horizon will see 70 per cent of its production destined for export, particularly to markets in Central and Northern Europe, where demand for heat pumps for decarbonisation in the commercial sector is constantly growing’. Among other things, the plant is equipped with the most advanced energy-efficient technologies with low environmental impact: on the roof of the building there is a photovoltaic system comprising 1,008 panels with a total capacity of 805 kWp, which covers 67 per cent of energy consumption, with an estimated self-consumption rate of 87 per cent, meaning that surplus energy will also be fed into the grid.

 “The launch of the new plant is the result of intensive work in design, construction and industrial organisation,” emphasises Marco Bertazzo, Clivet’s plant manager. “ We have developed the production lines by applying the principles of lean manufacturing, with the aim of creating more efficient workflows, eliminating waste and focusing on activities that generate value for the customer. We have also designed the lines to integrate robots and collaborative robots, as well as autonomous vehicles, with a view to collaborative automation. We have also decided to invest in skills and human capital: we want to attract and train professionals capable of keeping pace with the sector’s technological evolution and offering new opportunities to young people in the local area.’ Clivet has applied for LEED Silver certification – Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design – for the building.