OREANDA-NEWS. Mitsubishi Electric Corporation announced today that it has completed its Elevators and Escalators QM (Quality & Manufacturing) center to develop and test global models while nurturing related personnel skills and know-how. The facility, located at the company's Inazawa Works in Aichi Prefecture, Japan will begin operating commercially on October 1, 2014

Development and verification operations at the center will enhance the quality and safety of key parts, including hoisting machines, printed circuit assemblies, ropes and brakes. The center will evaluate total systems, including fluctuating manufacturing conditions due to purchases and other factors, and individual parts using simulated operating environments. Expected benefits include strengthened effectiveness and efficiency of trial manufacturing and verification operations, and accelerated lifecycle testing of products subjected to inhospitable conditions, such as varying temperatures and humidity, taking climate change into account. Verification of marginal performance will enable clearer articulation of the relationship between marginal performance and usage conditions and operating environments.

Consolidation of elevator and escalator development, trial production and verification operations at the center will facilitate the development of personnel with expertise in basic manufacturing technologies, including materials, molding and automation, as well as basic verification technologies for strength and materials evaluation. The center also will strengthen Mitsubishi Electric's global engineering capabilities through the exchange of technology and personnel with manufacturing bases outside Japan.

The global demand for elevators and escalators has increased significantly thanks to economic growth in countries such as China and India. Since entering the business in 1931, Mitsubishi Electric has established 14 production centers in 10 countries outside Japan and delivered more than one million elevators and escalators in 92 countries. For continued growth, the company determined that it must strengthen development and manufacturing functions for enhanced cooperation with overseas production centers to ensure that products meet local demands in each market.