Mitsubishi invests £15.3m in Livingston factory
4th November 2021
UK: Mitsubishi Electric Air Conditioning Systems Europe is to invest £15.3m in its Livingston factory to boost its heat pump productivity, efficiency and R&D capabilities.
Following the signing of an MoU at COP26 this week, Scottish Enterprise will be providing a wide package of support, including £1.8m of grant funding, creating 55 new technical and engineering jobs and protecting 324 existing jobs.
Established in 1993 to serve the European market, the Livingston facility has been the centre for the manufacture of Ecodan air-source and ground-source heat pumps since 2009. The increased R&D activity will support the development of next generation heat pump technology in Scotland, including investigating new low GWP refrigerants and materials.
The Mitsubishi Electric Research & Development (R&D) Centre Europe (MERCE) moved to the 90,000m2 Livingston site In 2013, building and opening two test houses next to the factory, along with a bespoke experimental control room. Each house is modified by the installation of a vast array of sensors, both for measuring the detailed environmental conditions and for in depth monitoring of the operation of the heating systems.
The development of Livingston into a smart factory will include the integration of automation and robotics equipment into manufacturing operations, the deployment of advanced sensing systems to provide real time information, and the development of employees’ digital skills.
