Ben Cardwell, vice president of sales and marketing for Andrew in Asia Pacific, said today that, with China investing billions of dollars in 3G networks, the company was completing expansion of its Suzhou manufacturing and distribution center to better support its local customers.
 
Cardwell said the Suzhou factory, in operation since August 1998, Andrew’s Suzhou currently has more than 2,000 employees and a production area of more than 20,000 square meters, and the expansion will increase the workforce by approximately 400 and the production space for base station antenna manufacturing by 50 percent.
 
“The highly skilled Suzhou workforce manufactures base station antennas for deployment in Chinese networks and for export to the rest of Asia and beyond, with all major frequency bands and technologies represented. The facility also manufactures Heliax 2.0 coaxial RF cable, Radiax radiating cable, and cable components and accessories in its Suzhou facility.

“By making wireless products locally, Andrew can better support Chinese clients with complete wireless communication solutions and promptly respond to tight implementation and delivery requirements.

Cardwell said that despite the global economic crisis, Andrew continues to see significant opportunity in the Chinese wireless marketplace, with the issuance of China’s 3G licenses and the efforts of the Chinese government to revitalise technology industries.

“With our vast experience in supporting 3G networks all over the world, we can offer our China customers the broadest solution portfolio and global experience at a lower total cost of ownership. As the wireless market continues to evolve, Andrew is well-positioned to help its customers succeed now and in the future.”

Cardwell also said that throughout the rapid development of China’s telecommunication industry, demands for advanced technologies had routinely increased, and to meet this demand, Andrew had continually grown its high-volume manufacturing operations in Suzhou and Shenzhen, and its research and product design activities in Shanghai, as well as other locations in China, “to guarantee Chinese clients with world-class products, high quality and timely delivery.” 

According to Cardwell, Andrew was the only non-indigenous cable and antenna supplier approved by China Telecom for the first phase of its 3G CDMA wireless network and one of the few non-indigenous vendors approved for the new China Unicom’s 3G WCDMA network.