Finland-based EMS company Elcoteq has expanded its second manufacturing plant in Tallinn, Estonia. In Tallinn (the old Reval of the Hanse trade association along the North and Baltic Sea), the company employs nearly a staff of 3200. The expansion was needed because of growing demand and an increase in the business and customer portfolio. The total investment was euro 40m. At the official opening, the Estonian prime minister Juhan Parts and Antti Piippo, chairman of the board, were present. Elcoteq Tallinn has been the largest exporter in Estonia for the past ten years, with a 14% share of total goods in 2003. Production focuses on two main areas: mobile phones and accessories, wireless modules and home communication products, as well as GSM base stations, cellular networks, antennas, broadband switches and routers and optical devices. In addition, the company provides design, new product introduction (NPI), manufacturing, supply-chain management, in-bound and out-bound logistics, purchasing and after-sales services. Elcoteq began pilot production in Estonia in 1992 with twelve employees. In 1997, the Tallinn EMS plant was first globally to start volume production of complete mobile phones (box build). An NPI center was established in 2000, and the second fab opened in 2001. Six-sigma and lean-manufacturing strategy quality is standard, as well as environment protection according to ISO 14001 and quality management following ISO 9001. The fabs have received the Estonian Quality Award, the country’s acknowledgement to an organization for achieving and maintaining high quality principles, and for implementing modern management concepts. The company will open a new fab in St. Petersburg/Russia next year, has increased personnel in Pécs/Hungary (Fünfkirchen), and is expanding its operations to Bangalore/India. 2004, net sales are euro 2.235bn.
www.elcoteq.com
EPP EUROPE 404
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