Mitsubishi Electric Living Environment Division organized a special factory visit to Mitsubishi Electric Corporation Air Conditioning & Refrigeration (AC&R) System Works, Wakayama, Japan. Major stakeholders and influencers from the air conditioning segment in India witnessed the facility while integrating the technological know-how from these specialized air conditioning and refrigeration plants. The whole exercise has contributed a great deal in development and manufacture of highly efficient products and systems.
AC&R works has been set up to serve as a new production base where the central components for air conditioning equipment are manufactured. Based on the concept of ‘GreenITy Factory’, the building aims to achieve BCP (Business Continuity Planning), environmental sensitivity, and flexibility required for a factory. The interior layout of the factory incorporates clear zoning, in which the support spaces are arranged around a large, adjustable space, to flexibly accommodate future renewal and expansion. 
In addition, with consideration to the low-rise residential area in the east side, the openings and the utility pipes and ducts unavoidable for a factory are all brought to the west side and are surrounded by the balconies positioned on the west and south sides. The balconies provide both the desired functionalities and environmental ingenuity by serving as an access point to pipes and ducts for maintenance, a mounting base for solar panels, and a space for wall greening while also contributing to heat load reduction through the suppression of solar radiation on the exterior walls and the openings. AC&R works has been constructed as a next-generation factory model that takes account of the whole environment surrounding the premises, including the community, our planet, and the workplace.
The visit was arranged since MEI aimed to educate and update top architects, consultants and educationists about the various advances and developments in technologies in the field of heating, ventilation and air conditioning (HVAC). It helped them understand how MEI is efficiently meeting the current trends and requirements pertaining to environmental regulations and business practices in the coming year and how this is further enabling them to achieve continuous growth and increased presence in the Indian Market.