Mitsubishi Heavy and Mitsubishi Electric are not the same company

People often ring about "the Mitsubishi" on their wall, and the first question we ask is which one. It isn't us being difficult. There are two Mitsubishi air conditioner brands sold in Australia, they are made by two separate companies, and the parts, the warranty paperwork and the service network are different for each.

One name, two companies

The Mitsubishi name goes back a long way. Mitsubishi Electric's own company fact sheet says the Mitsubishi Group started in 1870 as a shipping company, and that Mitsubishi Electric Corporation was founded on 15 January 1921, when a division making electrical gear for ships was spun off from what was then the Kobe Shipyard. So the two share a family tree, but they have been separate businesses for more than a century.

On the heavy industry side, air conditioning now sits with Mitsubishi Heavy Industries Thermal Systems, Ltd., which its corporate overview says was established on 1 October 2016 and makes refrigeration and air conditioning equipment. In Australia the brand is looked after by Mitsubishi Heavy Industries Air-Conditioners Australia, usually shortened to MHIAA.

Mitsubishi Electric's air conditioners are handled here by Mitsubishi Electric Australia, which also sells other products under the same name.

The practical upshot: they design their own units, name their own ranges, stock their own parts and write their own warranties. A part from one will not fit the other just because the badge looks similar.

How to tell which one you have

The quickest way is the model number on the sticker, usually on the side of the indoor unit under the front cover, or on the side of the outdoor unit.

• Mitsubishi Electric wall splits carry model codes starting with MSZ (reverse cycle) or MSY (cooling only). The MSZ-AP, MSZ-LN, MSZ-EF and MSZ-GS are all current Mitsubishi Electric wall ranges at the time of writing.
• Mitsubishi Heavy Industries wall splits carry codes starting with SRK. MHIAA's current wall ranges have names rather than codes on the front of the box: Avanti, Avanti Plus, Bronte, Ciara and Elouera.

The logo on the front panel is also a clue. Mitsubishi Electric units usually say "Mitsubishi Electric". Mitsubishi Heavy units usually say "Mitsubishi Heavy Industries" or "MHI". If the badge just says "Mitsubishi" and nothing else, the sticker will settle it.

When you call us, a photo of that sticker is worth more than any description. It tells us the brand, the range and the age, and it means we turn up with the right gear on the van.

Where they differ in practice

Both make good reverse cycle systems and we install and service both. The differences that matter to an owner are mostly about range and paperwork rather than one being better than the other.

Range names. Mitsubishi Electric sells wall splits by series code, plus its MR SLIM light commercial range for bigger rooms and small businesses. We cover that one in Mitsubishi Electric Mr Slim explained. MHIAA sells its wall splits by name, along with floor, bulkhead, ducted and multi-split ranges. That range has its own write up in Mitsubishi Heavy Industries air conditioners.

Warranty terms. Both offer five years on their main residential systems at the time of writing, but they word it differently.

• Mitsubishi Electric's support page lists five years parts and labour on its M, S and P (Mr Slim) series and City Multi, with server and communication room use dropped to one year.
• MHIAA's warranty document, effective January 2025, lists five years on parts, labour and the compressor for most of its residential series, with shorter terms on some multi systems and one year for what it calls non-human comfort use, such as beverage storage or computer rooms. It also says warranty repairs must be carried out by a service agent MHIAA nominates.

Those exceptions catch people out. If a split system is cooling a cellar, a keg room or a comms cupboard rather than people, check the warranty before you assume five years.

Parts. Because the companies are separate, so are the parts supply chains. When we diagnose a fault on either brand, we order the part for that exact model number, which is another reason the sticker photo helps.

Does it matter which one you buy?

Less than the advertising would suggest. For a bedroom or living area in the ranges around Daylesford and Trentham, the things that decide how happy you are in July are the size of the unit, where it is mounted, where the outdoor unit sits, and whether it gets serviced. We would rather spend the time on those than argue about logos.

If you are weighing these two against Daikin, our earlier piece on choosing between Mitsubishi Heavy, Daikin and Mitsubishi Electric goes through it.

If you have a Mitsubishi of either kind that needs a look, or you are planning a new split system, send us the model number through our contact page or call 0417 734 206, Monday to Friday, 8:00am to 4:30pm.