Nokia Officially Begins Building Vietnam Production Facility

Nokia on Monday kicked off the construction of its first ever mobile phone production plant in Bac Ninh, Vietnam. In attendance for the event was Secretary of the Central Party Committee, Vice President of the National Assembly of Vietnam, Madam Nguyen Thi Kim Ngan; Minister of the Ministry of Science and Technology Vietnam, Mr. Nguyen Quan; Ambassador of Finland to Vietnam and Kimmo Lähdevirta among other Vietnamese leaders.

The new Nokia production facility is located in Vietnam-Singapore Industrial Park (VSIP) in Bac Ninh province and the plant takes up 17 hectares of land with operations expected to begin in 2013.

Opening the plant in Vietnam is important to Nokia as the company attempts to etch out market share in under exposed markets with the company’s strategy to reach the “next” one billion people via information and internet technology.

By opening the new plant in Vietnam Nokia is able to build out its mobile phones brand as a strategic role in the region while meeting growth demands for mobile devices in the coming years.

Speaking on behalf of the Vietnames people Mr. Nguyen Nhân Chien, President of People’s Committee of Bac Ninh province said:

“We highly appreciate Nokia’s efforts in making this commitment a reality, which contributes to the growth of foreign investment in Vietnam in general and in Bac Ninh in particular. We also hope this will bring up not only economic value, but also other social benefits for the country like job creation and community knowledge enhancement on information technology alike.”

Executive Vice President, Mobile Phones, Nokia, Mary McDowell says the new plant will help Nokia product affordable, localized mobile experiences in growth markets. In other words entry-level phones that locals can afford and use effectively.

In the meantime the new plant means 10,000 new jobs for local residents as Nokia seeks both unskilled and skilled labor to help the plant operate successfully.

Nokia began doing business in Vietnam in 1996 and has watched as the market for cellular devices and other technologies have boomed in the area. In November 2011 Nokia (Vietnam) LLC was established and that organization will run the Vietnam manufacturing facility.