The Hindu Business Line : Laird to set up unit in India

(FROM RIGHT) Mr Nigel J. Keen, Chairman, Laird Plc; Prince Andrew, Duke of York; Mr Sri Talpallikar, Managing Director, Laird Technologies, India; and Mr Jukka Lehtela, Director, India Operations, Nokia, at the unveiling of the foundation stone of Laird's first manufacturing facility in the country in Chennai on Friday. — Bijoy Ghosh

Chennai , Nov. 3

Laird Technologies, a component supplier to mobile phone makers, on Friday announced plans to set up its manufacturing facility at the Nokia SEZ (special economic zone) in Sriperumbudur near Chennai.

The company designs and manufactures antennas, electromagnetic interference (EMI) shielding components, telematics and thermal management solutions for the mobile phone industry,

This is Laird's first manufacturing facility in India. Mr Nigel Keen, Chairman, Laird Group, told Business Line, "When complete, it should house between 1,500 and 2,000 employees."

He added that the company has several plants the world over but that four of them, two in Beijing and one each in Mexico and Hungary, support Nokia predominantly. Chennai's would be the fifth such plant.

Over time, the Chennai plant would also supply to other mobile phone makers, too, Mr Sri Talpallikar, Managing Director-India, Laird Technologies, said, adding, "Motorola is a customer."

The unit, to occupy 15,000 sq m of space in the SEZ, would see its first product shipment by August 2007. A local technical sales team to support the Indian market is also on the cards.

Mr Talpallikar told a media gathering that between $18 million and $20 million would be invested in the first phase.

Project plans

Answering a query, he said that not all four lines of business would be brought into the Chennai plant at one go. "We would first look at antennas and EMI shielding solutions for cellular handsets, before bringing in thermal heating and telematics solutions."

Laird also plans to expand the scope of the facility to include design engineering, research and development, tooling and manufacturing of all the company's products, he said.

Currently, Laird's Beijing factories supply components to Nokia's Made in India phones.

Now, said Mr Jukka Lehtela, Director-India operations, Nokia, "Laird's presence here will help bring efficiencies into our supply chain."

To mark the event, Mr Talpallikar and Mr Jukka Lehtela Director-India Operations of Nokia, signed a letter of commitment in the presence of Prince Andrews, the Duke of York, who is also the UK's Special Representative for Trade and Investment.

In addition to servicing the mobile phone industry, Laird Technologies also supplies to the automotive electronics, medical electronics, consumer electronics and military electronics.

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