By Telecom Lead Team: Mobile phone major Nokia has sold its production facility in
Romania to De’ Longhi SpA, a global leader in household appliances.
The mobile phone company is selling the
facility as part of its long term plan to cut down on expenditure.
After announcing its plans in September
2011 to end manufacturing in Cluj and focus feature phone production in
locations closest to suppliers and key markets, Nokia has been active in
seeking potential buyers for the facility in close consultation with the
relevant authorities in Romania.
Since ending production in Cluj in November
2011, Nokia has continued to support impacted employees with a number of
proactive measures, including financial support and assistance with retraining
and job search.
“As we assessed the interest in our
facility, Nokia was determined to find a major investor with clear plans for
growth and committed to creating jobs here in the immediate future. De’ Longhi
was the ideal candidate in both respects and we are really pleased to have been
able to secure the future of the facility so quickly,” Robert Andersson,
senior vice president at Nokia.
De’ Longhi plans to make the facility a key
part of its development strategy, aimed at supporting its fast-growing
international presence. The facility will also enable De’ Longhi to adapt and
diversify its production network so as to partly rebalance its manufacturing
structure from the Far East to Europe, where De’ Longhi already operates a
plant in Italy.
