Nidec pledges $18m to boost fan motor production

JAPAN: Nidec, owner of refrigeration compressor manufacturer Embraco, is to invest $18m in an expansion of its variable speed HVAC motor production capacity for US markets.

The investment at three Nidec Global Appliance manufacturing sites in Monterrey, Mexico, will boost production of its US Motors and Rescue brand variable speed motors by around 1.5 million per year. The primary markets targeted for this production increase are residential and light commercial HVAC installations in North America. 

The capacity expansion supports 48 frame variable speed motors for fans and blowers. It includes the US Motors lines SelecTech, PerfectSpeed, EcoTech and EcoApex48, and the Rescue line of replacement motors.

“The product lines for the investment were strategically chosen because the variable speed technology is the most energy efficient and the motors within the 48 frame are the most popular for residential applications in the HVAC sector,” explained Tim Schamel, HVAC business unit president at Nidec Global Appliance.

Nidec’s factory in Qingdao, China, which produces the electronic control device for these electronically commutated motors, will also receive investments to increase capacity.