Johnson Controls Celebrates 140 years of Innovation and Leadership

The Wire

02-07-2025

Over 40 Years of Dedicated Partnership and Growth in Singapore's Transformation Journey SINGAPORE, July 2, 2025 /PRNewswire/ -- Johnson Controls (NYSE: JCI), the global leader for smart, healthy, safe and sustainable buildings, is celebrating 140 years of achievements and industry-firsts. Since its founding in 1885, Johnson Controls has continuously improved the built environment, delivering the first automatic sprinkler and then the first room thermostat shortly after. Today, Johnson Controls is serving customers throughout the building lifecycle with one of the largest portfolios of heating, ventilation and air conditioning equipment and controls in the world, coupled with a world-class fire protection and smart security portfolio. The company is laser-focused on enhancing and protecting essential buildings ranging from data centres to advanced manufacturing to education, hospitals and pharmaceutical labs, creating environments that improve society and help customers run mission-critical operations.
As Singapore celebrates SG60, marking 60 years of independence and progress in 2025, Johnson Controls congratulates the nation on this milestone and looks forward to continued partnership in support of the nation's visionary goals for advanced technology and leadership in smart, safe and sustainable spaces. Johnson Controls has proudly supported the nation's growth along the journey, making significant contributions to its development. From energy-efficient commercial buildings and smart public transportation systems to key infrastructure applications in areas like healthcare, education, data centre, semiconductor, and other high-end manufacturing, Johnson Controls has been honoured to be an integral part of Singapore's progress, bringing full lifecycle building solutions and services across areas, and addressing needs for safety, connectivity and sustainability. Through collaborations with government agencies to pilot sustainable technologies, the company is pleased to demonstrate what is possible in the move toward a greener future.
Johnson Controls continues to innovate with our ever-growing portfolio of more than 8,000 patents and billions of dollars invested in engineering, research and development in recent years. While portions of the business have been around longer, with its Grinnell and York brands celebrating more than 150 years in existence, the company is united in its inventive spirit and end-to-end partnership with customers. From original engineering and design of equipment to installation, service and ultimately replacement and upgrade, Johnson Controls is about trust and deep commitment to customers.
"This year marks a very special milestone for Johnson Controls, our 140th anniversary. And this anniversary is a chance for us to reflect on our journey. We are humbled by and grateful for those who came before us and feel the responsibility to forge ahead, continue solving our customers' problems, and find new and better ways to advance technologies to make a difference," said Johnson Controls CEO Joakim Weidemanis. "It's no doubt the secret to our longstanding success is our talented teams around the world and I thank our employees, customers and partners for their role in helping us reach this exciting milestone. As we celebrate what we've accomplished, we're also excited about the future. We feel like we have just gotten started. We are ready to accelerate our technology-based innovation and continuous improvement together with our customers to keep transforming our industry for the next 140 years." With 140 years of global experience, Johnson Controls has spent over four decades supporting Singapore's smart city ambitions, equipping over 40% of its commercial buildings with smart technologies. This effort directly supports Singapore's ambitious sustainability goals, contributing to a greener and more efficient future. The company's new office at one-north, operational since 2024, and recently certified with BCA (Building and Construction Authority) Green Mark Platinum for Healthier Workplaces, exemplifies its commitment to green and healthy environment, innovation, and collaboration. The office houses the state-of-the-art OpenBlue Innovation Centre serving as a living lab for collaborative research and development. Meanwhile, the Remote Operating Centre in house which integrates real-time data, analytics capability driven by OpenBlue Enterprise Manager and secure remote control, is serving as a centralised hub for managing operations across multiple sites in Southeast Asia, enabling data-driven decision-making and delivering high-quality service to support customers' sustainability goals. Recognised with the SkillsFuture Employer Awards (Gold), Johnson Controls Singapore remains steadfast in nurturing and enhancing its workforce's expertise. These initiatives, along with a celebrated global reputation for ethical business practices and pioneering innovations, underscore Johnson Controls' vital role in driving Singapore's sustainable urban evolution.
One recent project in the heart of Singapore's city centre exemplifies this vision: transforming one of Singapore's largest mixed-use developments into a showcase of energy-efficient innovation. Through Energy Performance Contracting (EPC) solution and Cooling-as-a-Service (CaaS) model, Johnson Controls delivered a comprehensive retrofit that pairs next-generation HVAC systems with digital solutions. The project is set to cut around 88,000 tonnes of CO₂ over 15 years – equivalent to the saving of over 41,000 households' annual electricity consumption – while ensuring long-term efficiency, smarter energy use through real-time analytics, and predictable operational costs.
"As we look to the future, our commitment at Johnson Controls is clear: to lead in innovation and sustainability that powers smart urban growth. We see our role as not just participants but full partners who drive impactful change across Singapore and Southeast Asia. By investing in our people, embracing cutting-edge technologies, and fostering partnerships, we are creating ecosystems that support resilient cities and enable sustainable lifestyles. Our presence at one-north is a testament to this vision—a catalyst for innovation that aligns with Singapore's trajectory towards a sustainable future," said Peter Ferguson, General Manager, Southeast Asia, Johnson Controls.
Looking ahead, Johnson Controls has a more simplified portfolio serving customers over the lifecycle of a building. Combined with world-class service teams reaching more than four million customers anywhere and at any time, our customers are saving money, energy and their own time. The portfolio is further enabled by digital by integrating IoT while connecting equipment, harnessing award-winning AI and machine learning, and offering enhanced real-time analytics – making buildings smarter than ever before. Whether it's protection from extreme weather conditions, mitigating rising energy prices or developing the latest technology, Johnson Controls is a trusted partner with global expertise and local presence to serve customers now and in the future.
To learn more about Johnson Controls' 140 years of innovation leadership and its history, visit https://www.johnsoncontrols.com/about-us/our-company/celebrating-140-years.
About Johnson Controls: At Johnson Controls (NYSE:JCI), we transform the environments where people live, work, learn and play. As the global leader in smart, healthy and sustainable buildings, our mission is to reimagine the performance of buildings to serve people, places and the planet.
Building on a proud history of 140 years of innovation, we deliver the blueprint of the future for industries such as healthcare, schools, data centres, airports, stadiums, manufacturing and beyond through OpenBlue, our comprehensive digital offering.
Today, Johnson Controls offers the world's largest portfolio of building technology and software as well as service solutions from some of the most trusted names in the industry.
Visit www.johnsoncontrols.com for more information and follow @Johnson Controls on social platforms.
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