Singapore, Malaysia: Claiming to be the manufacturer of the world’s first actuator featuring universal input and automatic signal detection, Johnson Controls has announced producing the M9310 series of actuators in China. The universal input, the company explained, allows contractors and distributors to reduce their inventory and always have the right model for the job, while the automatic signal detection capability ensures ease of configuration during installation.

The M9310 units, the company said, are being manufactured at its ISO 9001-recognised and LEED Gold-certified facility at Wuxi in China, and it is the first site in Asia – second globally – to produce them. The announcement added that the company’s production process deployed in Wuxi, is identical to the first plant situated in North America, and the final products are subject to the same set of strict quality controls and checks to ensure adherence to global standards set by the company.

Recognising China as one of the major growth markets for the company, Johnson Controls said that it has affirmed its commitment with the planned opening of a second global corporate headquarters, in Shanghai in 2017. The company said the commitment is following a USD 35 million investment into expanding its manufacturing and research and development centre in Wuxi in 2014. The campus and its engineering centre, the company added, is now reportedly one of its largest R&D centres in the world for building heating, ventilation and air conditioning systems.

“The M9310 is a significant step forward for Johnson Controls and the building controls industry,” said Bernard Clement, Director of HVAC Product Management at Johnson Controls. “The decision to manufacture such cutting-edge innovations in Asia marks another milestone in our continual progress to elevate manufacturing and quality standards in this region. Manufacturing in Asia, for Asia, also means reduced lead-times. Our customers will be able to quickly address their needs to drive success in the competitive marketplace with our high performance products.”