Matsushita to Close Kofu Compressor Plant

The Home Appliance Group of Matsushita Electric Industrial Co. intends to strengthen its global system for production in the most suitable places, in order to accelerate its strategy for expanding their air conditioning compressor business and to establish a firm management structure.
As concrete steps, the company plans to shift production of air conditioning rotary compressors from the Kofu Plant (part of the Air-Conditioning Devices Business Unit) to Panasonic Wanbao Compressor (Guangzhou) Co., Ltd. (Guangdong, China) in or around December 2007, and also to Hangzhou Air-Conditioning Devices Business Unit (Zhejiang Prov.) in or around February 2008.
At present, the company is producing air conditioning compressors in two domestic facilities in Japan (Kofu and Kusatsu) and three overseas facilities (Malaysia, Guangzhou and Hangzhou in China) with the yearly total capacity of 21 million units. The company’s global market share is estimated at about 20% or more (2005). Rotary compressors are produced at Kofu and overseas facilities, while scroll compressors are produced at Kusatsu.
The air conditioning compressor market is predicted to grow at a high rate in China with even more intense competition, and Matsushita’s customers (OEMs) are expected to shift their AC unit assembly for products with rotary compressors produced at Kofu to overseas facilities.
Accordingly, Kofu Plant will be closed in or around March 2008.maylanh.com.vn