Laird Technologies, Inc. Holds Dedication Ceremony for New Chennai Manufacturing Facility
Company opens first India manufacturing operation. Approximately 1,00 to 1,200 people to be employed in the 160,000 sq. ft. facility when in full operation.
Chennai, India - April 28, 2008 - USA-headquartered Laird Technologies, Inc., a global leader in the design and manufacture of customized, performance-critical products for wireless and other advanced electronics applications, today hosted a dedication ceremony for its first manufacturing facility in India. Laird Technologies, a unit of the UK-based Laird Group PLC, employs over 14,000 employees in more than 40 facilities located in 14 countries.
The facility, located in the Nokia Telecom SEZ (Special Economic Zone) in Sriperembudur near Chennai, was inaugurated today by Shri. L.K. Tripathi, Chief Secretary to Tamil Nadu Government and Shri. G. K. Pillai, Commerce Secretary, Government of India. Mr. Mike Connor, British Deputy High Commissioner and Director of UK Trade and Investment for Southern India, was also present for the occasion, as were top management from The Laird Group PLC and Laird Technologies, Inc.
With an investment of over $15 Million, Laird Technologies' 160,000 sq. ft. manufacturing facility will employ between 1,000 to 1,200 people when in full production. The manufacturing facility will initially produce antennas, battery packs and EMI shielding products for cellular handset applications for its Indian customers. The company also expects to export the products manufactured at the Chennai facility to overseas markets.
According to Sri Talpallikar, Laird Technologies Managing Director-India, the choice of Chennai as the company's first location in India was due to the "availability of a skilled work force, support from the Tamil Nadu Government, the presence of good logistics, excellent infrastructure facilities, lower costs and our 'close to the customer' strategy. This new facility will allow us to support our Indian customers with products in a timely and efficient manner."
Laird Technologies already supplies products to large Indian enterprises in the mobile phone, telecom infrastructure equipment, computer hardware, and automotive electronics sectors from manufacturing facilities outside India. By setting up of the manufacturing facility in Chennai, Laird Technologies is poised to aggressively expand its customer base over the next 12-18 months in the rapidly growing market for electronic products in India.
According to Marty Rapp, Laird Technologies CEO, "Our new manufacturing facility in Chennai is a big step for us in our goal to be local, globally. Now that the facility is in operation, we look forward to introducing a wider range of our products, and servicing the rapidly growing electronics market in India."
About Laird Technologies
Laird Technologies designs and supplies customized, performance-critical products for wireless and other advanced electronics applications. Laird Technologies recently established a growing position in the design and supply of complete radio frequency (RF) modules and systems. These performance-critical products, co-designed in conjunction with customers, are essential in enabling and protecting the functionality of electronic devices and wireless applications.
Custom products are supplied to all sectors of the electronics industry including the telecommunications, data transfer and information technology, as well as the automotive, aerospace, defense, consumer, medical, and industrial markets.
Contact:
Sri Talpallikar
Laird Technologies Managing Director - India
Chennai
Mobile : +91 98847 78203
E-Mail : sri.talpallikar@lairdtech.com
