Eaton opens industry design center in Dominican Republic

Intelligent power management company Eaton opened an industry design center in the Dominican Republic’s capital city of Santo Domingo to help meet surging demand for electrical solutions supporting the energy transition. Located adjacent to the Technological Institute of Santo Domingo (INTEC) and near the company’s manufacturing facilities, the strategic hub features an advanced lab for design and development.

Eaton previously committed $3B in research and development to accelerate the development of sustainable solutions by 2030. The new Santo Domingo Design Center advances this mission to help customers in the Americas accelerate a low-carbon energy future.

“We’re proud to be the first electrical manufacturer in the Dominican Republic with a dedicated hub for design innovation that will also serve as a pipeline for long-term engineering jobs in the region,” said Luis Valeiron, engineering manager for Eaton. “The work happening in our design center will be essential to customers across the Americas who are electrifying their homes, businesses and communities and will help advance the Dominican Republic’s position as a leader in the design and manufacturing of essential technologies.”

Eaton’s Santo Domingo Design Center is strategically located to serve customers across the Americas. Eaton reports that the facility will strengthen its engineering capabilities in the country by supporting new product development for key product lines, including residential circuit breakers, molded case circuit breakers and industrial control equipment.

The investment also supports Eaton’s continued commitment to industry education in the region through ongoing partnerships and internship programs with INTEC University as well as other local institutions including, Instituto Politécnico de Haina (IPHA) and Instituto Politécnico Loyola. These collaborations are designed to strengthen technical capabilities in the region and expand opportunities for graduates of engineering programs.

“Eaton has been in operation for more than 35 years in the Dominican Republic, not only being one of the largest manufacturers in the country, but also making significant investments in support of our communities, which underscores the stability of our business climate and the security of our free zone regime legal framework. Their trust, as well as the investments made in our country, have positioned Eaton as the largest exporter in the free zone sector and one of the main direct jobs generators in the Dominican Republic," said Víctor Bisonó, Minister of Industry, Commerce and Micro, Small & Medium Enterprises.

 Daniel Liranzo, executive director of the National Free Zones Council, added: “Over the years, Eaton has demonstrated extraordinary performance, not only in areas related to design, manufacturing and exports, but also in the development of important corporate responsibility programs for the benefit and progress of our communities. We are extremely proud today to be part of the presentation of its new Design Center in Santo Domingo, which promotes the positioning of the Dominican Republic as a leader in manufacturing innovation."

In 2019, Eaton was recognized by the Dominican Republic government as one of the companies with the highest contribution to the growth of exports and the generation of foreign exchange in the country, as well as for innovation in the transformation of the productive processes of the Free Trade Zone sector. The company has more than 5,000 employees in the country.