Midea has confirmed the start of construction of a new €60m air-to-water heat pump production base with the laying of a foundation stone at its Clivet factory in Feltre, Italy. The new facility, which will also include a heat pump R&D centre and supporting facilities, will have a capacity of 300,000 units when it comes on-stream in Q2 2024. Midea intends to source the key materials for production from Europe, and expects to slash delivery times from five months to one month.