TOKYO, Oct 9, 2019 - (JCN Newswire) - Mitsubishi Heavy Industries Thermal Systems, Ltd., a Group company of Mitsubishi Heavy Industries, Ltd. (MHI), has decided to establish a manufacturing center for automotive air conditioners in the industrial park managed by the city of Changshu in Jiangsu Province, China. An agreement to establish the new company was signed on October 8 with Changshu city officials. China is projected to be a priority market going forward, with rapid expansion in demand anticipated for electric vehicles (EVs) and other eco-friendly new energy automobiles. MHI Thermal Systems will expand local production of electric compressors to meet the rising growth rate. The new factory is scheduled to begin operations in 2022. This will be the company's second automotive air-conditioning manufacturing production facility in China, and will have manufacturing capacity of 500,000 units annually.

Signing Ceremony

Electric Driven Compressor

The new production facility, MHI AUTOMOTIVE CLIMATE CONTROL (CHANGSHU) CO.,LTD. (provisional name), will be a wholly-owned subsidiary of MHI Thermal Systems, and is scheduled to be established within the year in the Changshu New and High-tech Industrial Development Zone located in the city of Changshu, a facility that has long had close ties with MHI Group. Incorporating production line know-how from existing manufacturing facilities in Japan, the U.S., Shanghai (China), and Thailand will shorten the start-up period for the new factory, and allow the new company to attain high productivity levels quickly. Further, the center plans to utilize an information traceability system for assembly and parts to build a supply structure that meets customer needs, and will gradually boost production capacity.

Electric compressors, unlike belt-type compressors that use the engine drive, have electricity-driven inverter circuits and controllers, and are able to operate independently. MHI Thermal Systems handles a wide range of compressors, and at the factory in China plans to manufacture electric scroll compressors that push the limits for small size, lightness, and energy-efficiency, and that incorporate software developed based on Automotive SPICE (Software Process Improvement and Capability dEtermination) standards. Compared to previous models, these electric compressors, through optimization of scroll specifications, revisions to the inverter control method, and reconsideration of component placement and other structural elements, deliver industry-leading small size, lightness, and energy-efficiency.

MHI Thermal Systems, in addition to the automotive air-conditioning business, provides thermal solutions in a broad range of business fields including large air-conditioning systems for buildings, area-wide heating and cooling, and factories, as well as residential air conditioners and refrigeration for transportation systems. Going forward, MHI Thermal Systems will utilize synergies from its broad business fields to offer small, lightweight, and energy-efficient products for the automotive air conditioning business, as well as optimal management systems, and contribute to a more comfortable motorized society and the conservation of the global environment.

About Mitsubishi Heavy Industries, Ltd.

Mitsubishi Heavy Industries (MHI) Group is one of the world's leading industrial firms. For more than 130 years, we have channeled big thinking into solutions that move the world forward - advancing the lives of everyone who shares our planet. We deliver innovative and integrated solutions across a wide range of industries, covering land, sea, sky and even space. MHI Group employs 80,000 people across 400 locations, operating in three business domains: "Power Systems," "Industry & Infrastructure," "Aircraft, Defense & Space." We have a consolidated revenue of around 40 billion U.S. Dollars. We aim to contribute to environmental sustainability while achieving global growth, using our leading-edge technologies. By bringing people and ideas together as one, we continue to pave the way to a future of shared success.

For more information, please visit MHI's website: https://www.mhi.com For Technology, Trends and Tangents, visit MHI's new online media SPECTRA: https://spectra.mhi.com

Contact:Joseph Hood, PR Manager
Mitsubishi Heavy Industries, Ltd.
Email: mhi-pr@mhi.co.jp
Tel: +81-(0)3-6716-2168
Fax: +81-(0)3-6716-5860

Copyright 2019 JCN Newswire. All rights reserved. www.jcnnewswire.com