Hitachi
About Us
You’ve heard of us. Now get to know us.

– You’ve heard of us. Now get to know us.

Innovator and trendsetter for more than 90 years, we invented many of the core HVAC technologies still in use today, providing a unique perspective on the biggest issues shaping the industry, from decarbonization to climate change, the evolution of commercial buildings and digitization.
Re-discover Hitachi and how our expertise can help your business.

–The 50´s

–1932 - First Centrifugal Chiller

Hitachi begins development of centrifugal chillers launching a 25RT model

–1952 - Japan’s 1st residential air conditioner

Hitachi kick-started the room AC market in Japan with the EW-50, based on the 1951 AW-50 prototype

–1958 - World’s 1st compact Window AC format

The 101-WL was the first window AC to use the now industry-standard form which minimized the unit height

–The 60´s:

–Landmark study of energy efficiency in skyscrapers

First in Japan to study energy efficiency optimization for tall buildings and the 1st to build products with this knowledge

–1967 - World’s 1st AC with ‘dry mode’

The RA-228D room AC was the first in the world with integrated dehumidification that worked without cooling the room

–1970 - Development of sunlight & heat-resistant plastics

First to develop sunlight & heat-resistant plastics now used widely across the household electronics industry

–The 70´s:

–Development of sunlight & heat-resistant plastics (1970)

First to develop sunlight & heat-resistant plastics now used widely across the household electronics industry

–Inventor of heat exchanger with slit fins (1975)

This revolutionary design inserted a slit into each individual fin of the HEX to increase surface heat transfer area and would later be adopted by all AC manufacturers

–World’s 1st AC to use integrated circuits

First in the world to use silicon chips for precise digital control of temperature and timers, and to save preferred settings

–The 80´s:

–World’s 1st HEX tubes with internal grooved structure

First to use complex internal grooved structure inside HEX tubes, improving heat transfer; later adopted by other manufacturers

–1st in the world to develop a scroll compressor for AC

It made smaller, quieter, more reliable and energy efficient AC systems possible, replacing reciprocal compressors

–Inventor of the 4-way cassette

Designed to solve the problem of air distribution in open-plan office spaces

–The 90s & 00´s:

–2010 - 1st inverter VRF system that can be placed entirely

Using a centrifugal fan the ‘outdoor unit’ can be placed in an indoor ceiling plenum so no equipment is placed outdoors.

These units were a revolutionary solution in the 1980s and 1990s and helped to overcome the challenges posed by city developments and urban design at the time. Find out more here. (Link to "kakure ta")

–2015 - World’s 1st AC to use 3D camera

the X Series sold in Japan could direct airflow around furniture, improving cooling effectiveness in living spaces

–2016 - SmoothDrive: Improving VRF ‘part load’ efficiency

Directly controls compressor speed in precise steps to achieve the required load, reducing energy consumption by 39% under part load conditions, improving temperature stability and reducing compressor on/off cycles. Learn More about SmoothDrive functionality (link to Glossary)

–world’s 1st AC to use 3D camera (2015)