NEWS


Mitsubishi Electric increases air conditioner production in Turkey


M


itsubishi Electric has announced a $18m investment in its Turkish


factory to boost air conditioning production and start the manufacture of air source heat pumps at the 40,000m2 facility in Manisa, just inland from the Aegean Sea port of Izmir.


The plant which started


manufacturing in 2017, currently produces around 500,000 room air conditioners (indoor and outdoor) a


year. It will begin production of air- to-water (ATW) heat pumps in August next year to compliment production of Ecodan units from the company’s factory in Livingston, Scotland. The investment is projected to achieve a combined annual production for the two product types of one million units.


Increased output of


room air conditioners will start this October to serve the European market. “This is a positive move which will benefi t customers here in the UK


and across Europe,” explains John Kellett, divisional manager of living environment systems, the division responsible for sales and marketing of heat pumps and air conditioning in the UK.


Across Europe’s heating-system markets, fossil fuel boilers are rapidly being replaced with ATW heat pumps in line with decarbonisation policies. In addition, the need for air conditioners has risen due to stay-at-home protocols implemented in response


to the coronavirus. Going forward, demand for room air conditioners is expected to continue rising. Mitsubishi Electric now intends to help meet these demands by newly producing ATW units and expanding its production of room air conditioners in Turkey for supply to European markets. Environmental measures to be adopted in the factory will include the introduction of equipment for energy-saving production and electronic conveyance.


Nidec invests US$ 70 million to increase Embraco production capacity


N


idec Global Appliance, holder of the Embraco brand of refrigeration solutions, has


announced the investment of 70 million dollars to leverage and set up new production lines of refrigeration compressors and condensing units in several parts of the world. The new lines will increase the annual production capacity by more than 10 million units, which will be added to the current capacity of 45 million compressors and condensing units per year. The investment goes to manufacturing plants that produce Embraco solutions in Austria, China, Brazil and Mexico. Cooling is also a key factor in the health and scientifi c industries, two sectors that had a demand increase for refrigeration due to Covid-19. With three business units - one dedicated to solutions for commercial refrigeration equipment, other to compressors and motors for residential appliances and another to components for HVAC systems - Nidec Global Appliance, a division of Nidec Corporation, has a robust plan to continue expanding its portfolio as well as operations, which currently involves 15,000 employees in 16 manufacturing plants.


According to the International


Institute of Refrigeration (IIR), the demands of refrigeration and air conditioning together respond for 17% of the electricity consumption in the world. After reliability, the strongest wave of evolution in compressors and market demand has been energy effi ciency. Variable speed compressors, also known as inverter technology or VCCs, are a more environmentally responsible option that provides signifi cant energy savings compared to traditional on-off compressors. In Fürstenfeld, Austria, the


investment of 5 million dollars in the manufacturing plant is enabling it to start the production of two variable speed models, FMX and VES. These highly energy effi cient compressors will be destined to the European market, improving speed on service level and strengthening partnerships due to proximity with customers. In China, Nidec Global Appliance’s manufacturing site in Beijing is receiving an investment of three million dollars, to increase the annual production capacity of VES, VEM and FMX. The target market for the products are Asia, mainly China and Japan, Europe and the United States.


The three compressors families mentioned (VES, VEM and FMX) are


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technologies used by refrigeration equipment manufacturers (OEMs) worldwide, but especially in those countries that have stricter energy consumption regulations for appliances, and those where technology is a key buying criteria. These products, for using variable speed technology, have another appeal: adapting to diff erent levels of voltage fl uctuation, a condition that is present in many regions around the world. All three can be used in residential and some small light commercial applications, in segments such as merchandisers, food service and food retail. Investments in Americas are focused


on cooling systems and traditional compressors. In Brazil, the manufacturing plant located in Joinville will receive 21 million dollars in investments to add a third production line of EM compressors and deliver additional 2.5 million units per year, on top of a 4 million dollars investment already on going to increase productivity. The EM family is one of Embraco brand’s best sellers, used in residential and light commercial applications all over the world. The new production line will deliver the most advanced generations of the family (EM2 and EM3), combining


high cooling capacity, energy effi ciency and competitiveness, and will respond mainly to high demand levels in Brazil and Latin America. It is a fi xed speed compressor running on natural refrigerants R600a and R290, suited for a variety of applications, such as home refrigerators, supermarket’s refrigeration equipment, professional kitchens and merchandisers. In Mexico, the production site in the city of Apodaca is receiving investments of 35 million dollars to build a new production line of ES compressors, increasing by 60% the site’s production capacity. It will be focused on responding to the North American market demand, supporting the transition to natural refrigerants in this region, with the addition of an increased cooling capacity in comparison with previous families. In total, Nidec Global Appliance is investing about 70 million dollars in its plants in Mexico, focused on the aforementioned capacity increase and processes automation. Another investment is being made in


condensing units’ production capacity expansion. The off er of these cooling systems is a strategy Nidec Global Appliance intends to amplify. So it will invest around 2 million dollars in its Itaiópolis’ manufacturing, in Brazil.


www.acr-news.com • July 2021 13


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