Mitsubishi Electric to Build New Factory for Mitsubishi Elevator Korea

Mitsubishi Electric Corporation announced today that it will build a new factory for Mitsubishi Elevator Korea Co., Ltd. (KMEC) in the Songdo area of the Incheon Free Economic Zone in South Korea. Relocating KMEC’s development and manufacturing bases to the new facility will strengthen Mitsubishi Electric’s capability to respond to global needs for high-speed elevators, including by expanding annual production capacity 2.5 times to 4,000 units.

The facility’s R&D center will absorb selected development functions currently based in the Inazawa Works, Mitsubishi Electric’s elevator and escalator mother factory in Aichi Prefecture, Japan. The move will enable KMEC to collaborate more closely with the Inazawa Works in product development and thereby strengthen its response to global market needs.

A special emphasis will be placed on the strategic integration of sales, engineering, development, manufacturing, installation and maintenance functions. As a result, market needs will be more fully reflected in KMEC’s product development and verification processes.

The new facility will help to upgrade Mitsubishi Electric’s lineup of high-speed elevators for customers worldwide. Utilizing KMEC’s advanced engineering capabilities, Mitsubishi Electric plans to begin offering high-speed elevators capable of speeds of up to 360 meters per minute in the foreseeable future. Also, production in South Korea will contribute to the price competitiveness of Mitsubishi Electric’s high-speed elevators. In addition to expanding Mitsubishi Electric’s capability to supply global markets, especially in the ASEAN and Middle Eastern regions, KMEC will help to meet demands for high-speed elevator renewals in these same markets and beyond.

Notably, the new factory will boost production of NexPia series elevators designed specifically for South Korea’s growing market of small and midsize low-rise buildings. Demand is expected to remain stable, as the country’s market for new installations of elevators and escalators will reach about 24,000 units in the fiscal year ending next March.

KMEC, since its establishment in 2001, has steadily grown its elevator and escalator business in the South Korean market. It began exporting high-quality, price-competitive high-speed elevators in 2008 and since then it has served as Mitsubishi Electric’s global supply base for such models.