Mitsubishi Electric has announced a new 42.5 billion yen ($297 million) investment for the construction of a second factory automation (FA) control-system production building in Owariasahi City, Aichi Prefecture. The second building, part of the company’s Nagoya Works campus, will increase the total investment in the project to 55.5 billion yen.
The plan for this second production facility follows the initial investment announced on March 28, 2022, for a single building set to begin operations in April 2025. The new addition is projected to start operations two years later, in April 2027.
Both production buildings are set to be closely integrated to streamline operations. As next-generation factories, they will leverage 5G communications and AI technology, in addition to advanced supply chain management (SCM) and engineering chain management (ECM). The facilities will be based on Mitsubishi Electric’s “e-F@ctory” concept, which is expected to boost productivity and quality-improvement cycles, shorten delivery times, and ensure high-quality, high-efficiency production.
The highly automated production process in these buildings is designed to withstand demand fluctuations, owing to improved logistic efficiency. This will be achieved by using autonomous mobile robots (AMRs) and digital twins to synchronize production, thereby ensuring a stable supply of products for customers.
In line with its commitment to environmental sustainability, Mitsubishi Electric will also implement various CO2 reduction initiatives at the new facilities, reinforcing the company’s contribution to a carbon-neutral society.
The company expects global demand for FA control-system products to grow over the medium to long term. This is due to increasing capital investments in the manufacturing sector, particularly in fields related to decarbonization, such as electric vehicles and lithium-ion batteries, as well as digital fields like semiconductors and electronic components.