Jan Debruyn, President of Alfa Laval North America, joins business and industry leaders to discuss competitiveness, resilience and accelerating the energy transition

TORONTO, Sept. 29, 2026 /PRNewswire/ — Alfa Laval joined business, industry and sustainability leaders at Climate Week NYC 2026 last week, advancing conversations around energy efficiency, competitiveness, resilience and the need to accelerate implementation across the energy transition.

Jan Debruyn, President of Alfa Laval North America, represented the company throughout the week, participating in executive discussions focused on how industry can respond to growing energy demand while strengthening economic competitiveness and building more resilient systems.

For Alfa Laval, one message remained central throughout the week: energy efficiency must be treated as a first principle.

“Energy efficiency is a core enabler of the energy transition and a business imperative,” said Debruyn. “The opportunity is not only to improve individual technologies, but to intentionally design systems and processes to consume less energy from the start. That creates capacity, reduces operating costs and supports more resilient, responsible growth.”

From climate ambition to execution

A recurring theme throughout Climate Week was the need to move beyond long-term commitments and accelerate implementation. What was once largely framed as a sustainability challenge is increasingly being viewed through the lenses of competitiveness, affordability, resilience and energy security. For businesses, that shift is putting greater emphasis on solutions that can deliver measurable results today.

“The challenge is no longer proving that efficiency works. The challenge is deploying it fast enough,” said Debruyn. “The technologies already exist. What happens next depends on whether industry, finance, policymakers and technology providers can work together to turn opportunity into action at scale.”

The urgency is particularly relevant in North America, where industrial growth, electrification and rising electricity demand are putting increased pressure on existing infrastructure.

By taking an energy-efficiency-first approach, companies can make better use of existing systems, reduce energy consumption and unlock opportunities through technologies such as heat recovery, intelligent controls and process optimization.

Competitiveness, resilience and investment

During Climate Week, Debruyn joined a select group of CEOs and business leaders for a roundtable hosted at the Empire State Building by Anders Danielsson, President and CEO of Skanska, and the Nordic UN Global Compact networks.

The discussion focused on competitiveness, resilience and investment in the transition, bringing together senior leaders for a forward-looking conversation around how businesses can respond to rapidly evolving economic and energy challenges.

“Energy efficiency creates capacity,” said Debruyn. “It reduces operating costs, strengthens resilience and makes responsible growth possible. The opportunity is immediate, proven and investable.”

Energy efficiency and electrification working together

Alfa Laval used Climate Week to reinforce the close relationship between energy efficiency and electrification.

Electrification remains a critical part of the global energy transition, but scaling it will require significant investment in electricity generation, grids and storage. Improving efficiency alongside electrification can reduce overall energy demand, improve affordability and enable existing infrastructure to support continued growth.

“Electrification and energy efficiency need to move together,” said Debruyn. “Efficiency reduces electricity demand, improves affordability and helps make system-wide electrification possible. Together, they support a smarter, more secure and competitive energy future.”

Alfa Laval sees energy efficiency as a practical pathway to support industries navigating rising costs, infrastructure constraints and increasing pressure to remain competitive while reducing emissions.

Investing in North American growth

Alfa Laval is backing its energy-efficiency ambitions with continued investment across North America. The company is undertaking a major expansion of its Richmond, Virginia manufacturing facility, which is expected to double the site’s heat exchanger production capacity by 2028. The multi-year investment includes increased automation, workforce development and a comprehensive factory redesign designed to meet accelerating demand across North America’s industrial markets and strengthen regional supply capacity. The expansion reflects Alfa Laval’s broader focus on increasing regional capacity while helping customers improve operational efficiency and long-term resilience.

Building partnerships for the next phase of the transition

For Debruyn, the value of Climate Week lies not only in the conversations taking place in New York, but in what follows. Progress will depend on stronger collaboration across industries, finance, technology providers and policymakers, with a greater focus on translating commitments into tangible projects and investment.

“The destination is clear, and the urgency has intensified,” said Debruyn. “Execution will determine success. The next step is strengthening partnerships, aligning across the value chain and turning these conversations into action.”

Alfa Laval’s participation in Climate Week NYC reflects its broader commitment to helping industries improve energy efficiency, reduce emissions and build more resilient operations through heat transfer, separation and fluid handling technologies.

About Alfa Laval
Alfa Laval is a leading global provider of first-rate products in the areas of heat transfer, separation and fluid handling. We’re set on helping billions of people to get the energy, food, and clean water they need. And, at the same time, we’re decarbonizing the marine fleet that is the backbone of global trade.

Alfa Laval pioneer technologies and solutions that enable customers to unlock the true potential of resources. The company is committed to optimizing processes, creating responsible growth, and driving progress to support customers in achieving their business goals and sustainability targets. Together, we’re pioneering positive impact.

Alfa Laval was founded 140 years ago, has customers in 100 countries, employs more than 22,300 people, and annual sales were SEK 66.9 billion (5.8 BEUR) in 2024. The company is listed on Nasdaq Stockholm.

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SOURCE Alfa Laval