New life for Mitsubishi in Maysville
WHEN MITSUBISHI ELECTRIC opened its Maysville plant in 1995, employees punched the clock each day making car stereos.
Since then, the facility has manufactured automotive electronics, ignition coils, alternators and power steering products, and Mitsubishi Electric has become the second-largest employer in Maysville.
The company now plans to invest $143.5 million for the next chapter of the Maysville plant, establishing it as the first-ever U.S. factory to build advanced twin-rotary variable capacity compressors, the key technology used in Mitsubishi Electric Trane HVAC US heat pump systems. A significant majority of these types of compressors are currently built in Asia.
A $50 million U.S. Department of Energy grant and up to $7 million in state tax incentives are tied to the creation of 122 new full-time jobs, highlighting “the positive momentum we’re building in Maysville, Mason County and our region with high-paying, highly skilled technology jobs that will provide careers well into the future,” says Maysville Mayor Debra Cotterill.
“Creating technologies that support vibrant and sustainable societies is at our company’s core,” says Mike Corbo, president and CEO of Mitsubishi Electric US. “This repurposed facility brings the production of compressors for our highly efficient heat pump systems here to the U.S., and with that, new jobs and investments in technology that make American homes more comfortable, more sustainable and less expensive to heat and cool. This collaboration is a huge step toward many of our shared goals.”
The plant is served by Fleming-Mason Energy, whose president and CEO Brandon Hunt called the expansion “another example of Mitsubishi Electric’s long-standing commitment to our community.”
Kentucky Cabinet for Economic Development officials believe it is the largest project in Mason County in 20 years.
“Transitioning from a legacy Tier 1 automotive manufacturer to the United States’ preeminent, highly efficient heat pump compressor manufacturer not only gives Maysville and Kentucky a huge highlight in this growing green energy technology but underscores the incredible and diverse talent these jobs and our workforce represent,” says Mason County Judge-Executive Owen McNeill.
The company has a long history of training the region’s next generation of workers through collaborations with Morehead State University and Maysville Community and Technical College, among others.
“Mitsubishi Electric has been a model for innovation for decades,” says Maysville-Mason County Industrial Development Authority Director Tyler McHugh. “Now we look forward to seeing that continued innovation manifested right here in Maysville.”
Heat pump demand increasing
In 2018, Ingersoll Rand and Mitsubishi Electric Corporation formed a joint venture, Mitsubishi Electric Trane HVAC (METUS). The compressors to be manufactured in Maysville will be used in METUS heat pumps, which the company says offer precise temperature control, excel in cold climate conditions and operate efficiently to reduce carbon emissions associated with heating residential and commercial buildings. The Maysville plant expansion is intended to help grow domestic heat pump production capability needed to meet anticipated increased demand.
