OREANDA-NEWS. The new facilities will raise AMEC's annual production capacity by more than 50% to 20,000 units. In particular, Mitsubishi Electric will expand output of its flagship NEXIEZ series of elevators for global markets, particularly in emerging countries where demand is growing. Production capacity also will be increased for control equipment, which will enable Mitsubishi Electric to respond more effectively to needs for elevator renewals in markets outside Japan.

AMEC Managing Director Yoshikatsu Hayashi said: "Together with our new R&D center, which we established in October 2014 to develop and evaluate elevator and escalator parts, the new factory and test tower will enable us to increase our procurement of parts in the local Thai market for enhanced cost competitiveness and reduced manufacturing lead times. The new facilities will also strengthen our development and engineering operations by enabling us to respond to market requirements with more tailored product features and designs."

Mitsubishi Electric will invest 710 million THB (approximately 21 million USD) to build the new factory and test tower. The three-story steel building, which will have a footprint of approximately 4,800 square meters, is scheduled to be operable by May 2016. The test tower will rise to a height of 59 meters, equivalent to a 14-story building, and have a footprint of approximately 200 square meters. Beginning in December 2016, the tower will be used for the development, designing and evaluation of high-speed elevators.