Toshiba is building an industrial motor factory in Vietnam with the aim of becoming one of the world’s top three motor suppliers, with sales worth more than $700m by 2015.

The $77m factory and sales base, located in southern Dong Nai province, is scheduled to start operating in September 2010, with full production targeted for 2015. By then, the 80,000m² plant will employ around 500 people and be capable of producing up to 1.2 million high-efficiency motors per year.

The Toshiba Industrial Products Asia factory will produce IEC, JIS and Nema Premium motors with ratings up to 100hp (74.6kW) in frame sizes 140–360. It will mainly target the Asian and North American markets.

In particular, Toshiba wants to be ready for the transition from Epact to Nema Premium motors in the US in 2011, when the Energy Independence and Security Act of 2007 will make many Epact motors obsolete.

Toshiba already has motor manufacturing plants in Japan, China and the US.