US plant will produce 1 million heat pump compressors per year
13th December 2024
JAPAN/USA: Mitsubishi Electric will begin US production of variable-speed heat pump compressors in October 2027, following the $143.5m retrofit of its Kentucky-based auto parts factory.
The new factory will have an initial estimated capacity of one million compressors per year to help the company meet growing demand in the US.
When complete, the revamped factory will represent the first time that variable-speed compressors using twin rotary technology for highly efficient ductless heat pumps will be manufactured in the United States.
The investment in the Japanese manufacturer’s US subsidiary, MELCO HVAC US, includes $50m from the US Department of Energy, announced last year for heat pump manufacturing projects. MELCO HVAC US will also benefit from economic assistance programmes from the Commonwealth of Kentucky.
Mitsubishi Electric’s air conditioning and refrigeration systems business in the US has been expanding rapidly since 1980. In 2018, Mitsubishi Electric’s air conditioning and refrigeration systems business in the US established a joint venture company with Trane Technologies (formerly Ingersoll-Rand), known as Mitsubishi Electric Trane HVAC US LLC, due to the significant demand for its residential and commercial heat pump solutions.
The compressors built in the US will be used in products distributed by Mitsubishi Electric Trane HVAC US to further expand its domestic sales and service presence and capabilities.
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