JULY 25, 2008 -- Fujitsu Network Communications (search for Fujitsu Network Communications) says it is expanding manufacturing capacity at its Richardson, TX, headquarters. In an era where many companies are outsourcing manufacturing to locations outside the U.S., Fujitsu says it is shifting manufacturing of key optical and electronic components from Europe and Japan to the U.S. In the process, 67 new professional and production jobs will be created in North Texas.
"In an environment where a majority of customer orders require delivery in under a week and often within 24 hours, our manufacturing facility in Richardson is critical to our competitive advantage," explains Hans Roehrig, senior vice president of operations and manufacturing at Fujitsu Network Communications. "Fujitsu is one of only a few major optical networking vendors that manufactures its own equipment in North America. By optimizing our in-sourced supply chain and implementing highly-regarded manufacturing philosophies," he says, "we are able to respond faster to rapidly changing customer requirements and deliver industry-leading product reliability."
Fujitsu is transferring manufacturing of optical and electronic assemblies for its FLASHWAVE 4500 multi-service provisioning platform (MSPP) and FLASHWAVE 7500 reconfigurable optical add/drop multiplexer (ROADM) from Japan. Manufacturing of broadband and fiber access products from Europe are also being transferred to Richardson. In addition, hard disk drive logistics are being consolidated from a third-party vendor.
The transfer process for these manufacturing processes began in the first quarter of 2008, and is expected to be completed by the end of this year.
One of the key objectives of these moves is to improve Fujitsu's ability to respond to highly variable global demand, say company representatives. By pooling production capabilities in fewer places, peaks and troughs of demand can be balanced to improve operating efficiency.
Fujitsu is currently the eighth-largest employer in Richardson with approximately 1,500 employees on its 143-acre campus.