Ishikawajima-Harima Heavy Industries Co. plans to triple production of car turbochargers in Europe as stricter limits on air pollution boost demand.
Ishikawajima plans to add lines and staff at a factory in Milan, Italy, and build a plant in Eastern Europe, Keiichi Sakamoto, a spokesman for the Tokyo-based company, said Friday.
That would expand Ishikawajima-Harima's annual production in Europe to 1.5 million turbochargers by 2010 from 500,000 now. The company hasn't decided how much to invest, Sakamoto said.
The Nikkei newspaper reported earlier that the company will invest 1 billion yen on the Milan plant and 3 billion yen in Eastern Europe.
Turbochargers boost an engine's power by using exhaust gases to drive a turbine, thereby boosting fuel efficiency.