Mitsubishi Electric to build new production facility for factory automation equipment in Nagoya

Mitsubishi Electric Corp said Wednesday that it will build a new production facility for factory automation products at the company's Nagoya Works, located in Aichi Prefecture. The 6.5 billion yen facility is expected to start operation in January 2014, and will play a key role in meeting the growing global demand created by the acceleration of factory automation, especially in China and other Asian countries.

Mitsubishi said the new facility will enable increased production of programmable controllers, as well as enhance production capacity for key components in the company's drive control equipment manufactured around the world. Through cooperation with R&D and design sections, the facility will also incorporate advanced manufacturing technologies to enhance product competitiveness, as well as efficient, energy-saving equipment to reduce power consumption.

In response to demand for stable product supplies following the Great East Japan Earthquake, the new building will feature a seismic isolation structure to ensure business continuity in the event of a large earthquake.

Recent labor shortages, the rise in wages and a demand for high-quality products have rapidly led to increased factory automation. To meet the demand from the expanding global market for automation equipment, Mitsubishi Electric is currently engaged in building a market-oriented production structure in China, India and other countries, as well as strengthening its manufacturing base in Japan.

In light of the company's increasing global production volume, Mitsubishi said it is critical to expand the capacity of its Nagoya Works, the company's principal facility for automation equipment production, to ensure supplies of key parts to Mitsubishi Electric's factory automation lines worldwide.

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