May 14, 2015: After nearly seven years in operation, Nokia Networks’ Chennai factory has reached a major milestone. The facility has manufactured over two million components for telecommunications networks, of which about a quarter have been used for 4G technology. The announcement was made today during an event attended by Amitabh Kant, Secretary for Industrial Policy and Promotion, government officials, European delegates and customers.
With a workforce of 1,200 highly skilled employees, Nokia Networks’ Chennai factory is the largest manufacturing facility in the Indian telecommunications equipment manufacturing sector, and a strategic hub for Nokia’s global operations. The company has invested approximately Rs 500 crore since 2008 in the 140,000 square-meter facility, which produces and distributes mobile broadband products for advanced technologies such as LTE in domestic and global markets. The manufactured items include state-of-the-art Flexi Multiradio 10 Base Stations, system modules and filters, as well as core and transport network elements.
Chennai Factory Highlights:
- Established in 2008, the facility is equipped with cutting-edge technology and fully automated systems
- Manufactures and distributes components for Nokia’s complete portfolio, from 2G to 4G, including radio and core network equipment
- The products manufactured are intended for both local and global markets, with close to 50% being exported
- The Chennai facility is a world-class manufacturing location and has won the Rajeev Gandhi National Quality Award, the Economic Times-India Manufacturing Excellence Award (ET-IMEA), and the FICCI National Quality Systems Excellence Award
- Several quality initiatives have been rolled out such as Kaizen and Six Sigma; the facility is TL 9000 certified for quality in the telecommunications supply chain and participates in Nokia Networks’ LEAN and Industry 4.0* transformation activities
- The facility is also ISO 27001 certified for Information Security Management and ISO 14001 for efficient environment management
- The two million unit milestone is reached in the same year that Nokia celebrates its 150th anniversary
- It has outstanding quality capabilities and is rated by the EFQM** assessment committee with 3 stars for excellence
Sandeep Girotra, Vice President and Head of India Market at Nokia Networks, said: “We are proud to have reached the two million milestone in our Chennai factory. It is a great testimony to India’s potential in electronic manufacturing, and the company is a key pioneer supporting the government’s ‘Make in India’ vision. Our Chennai operations have successfully helped our customers meet challenges around technology evolution while balancing their investment objectives. We will remain strongly focused on manufacturing excellence through quality and innovation, providing operators with best-in-class mobile broadband equipment and supporting India’s transformation into a manufacturing destination.”
Karl Kirschenhofer, Vice President, Manufacturing Operations at Nokia Networks, said: “Our Chennai facility is a world-class factory similar to our other global factories and makes cost-efficient deliveries possible to operators around the globe including India, the US, and Europe. In addition, it is providing industrialization and engineering services to support the development and introduction of new products. The Chennai operation has grown rapidly over the years with the support from our employees, strong supplier network, and the right impetus to the manufacturing sector from the government.”
About Nokia
By focusing on the human possibilities of technology, Nokia embraces the connected world to help people thrive. Our three businesses are leaders in their fields. Nokia Networks provides broadband infrastructure software and services, HERE provides mapping, navigation and location intelligence, and Nokia Technologies provides advanced technology development and licensing.
Nokia Networks, which provides broadband infrastructure, software and services, operates at the forefront of our industry. From the first ever call on GSM to the first call on LTE, we have set the pace of innovation, a record that continues with future technologies such as 5G. Together with our operator customers, who serve close to 5 billion subscribers, we are embracing the opportunity of the connected world and helping to solve its challenges.
