OREANDA-NEWS. Hitachi, Ltd. and Hitachi Elevator Asia Pte. Ltd., the supervising company for Hitachi's elevator business in Southeast Asia, India, and the Middle East, have been awarded a batch order for 49 elevators and escalators to be installed in the Duo mixed development project, where the construction on the project is currently underway in the Ophir-Rochor area, a growth corridor located between the Kampong Glam historical district and Beach Road conservation area of Singapore's Central Business District.

The Duo Development Project, scheduled for completion in 2017, will be located between Ophir Road and Rochor Road, in an area known as the Bugis district. The development will comprise a 49-storey residential block that will house 660 units of luxury apartments and a 39-storey commercial and five-star hotel complex and a retail gallery with basement carparks. The developer, M+S Pte. Ltd., a joint venture company established by Khazanah Nasional Berhad, an investment Corporation owned by the Malaysian government, and Temasek Holdings (Pte) Limited, an investment Corporation owned by the government of Singapore, will undertake the joint development of the Duo project, which is also one of M+S's first development projects in Singapore.

The order received by Hitachi and Hitachi Elevator Asia comprises a total of 49 units, including 39 elevators and 10 escalators, which cover all of the elevators and escalators to be used on the Duo Development project. Four of the 39 elevators will be ultra-high-speed models with a maximum speed of 7 m/s. and a load capacity of 1,600kg. Another 16 will be equipped with Hitachi's "Destination Floor Reservation System," which enables users to register their destination floor in advance before the car arrives, so that elevators can be allocated to users based on their destination floor. This system helps to alleviate congestion on the lobby floor, and increases overall transport efficiency.

Hitachi has positioned Southeast Asia, India, and the Middle East as key regions for its elevator business, and established Hitachi Elevator Asia in Singapore in October 2010 to oversee the elevator business in those regions. Hitachi Elevator Asia has established a structure to control all aspects of the value chain for elevators in these regions, including marketing, sales, design, manufacturing, installation, and maintenance, and provides products that respond to market needs. Since starting up its elevator business in Singapore in 1961, Hitachi has shipped highly reliable, high-quality elevators and escalators for a wide range of facilities, including airports, hotels, and residential buildings. Hitachi will continue to provide safe, comfortable, high-quality products to the Singaporean market, which is expected to demonstrate demand in the future as well.

Hitachi is strengthening the global rollout of the Social Innovation Business. It will continue to expand on the elevator business, which represents an essential vertical transport infrastructure for urban centers.