Solectron To Build New Design And Manufacturing Facility
Solectron Corp., a provider of customized electronics manufacturing solutions to original equipment manufacturers (OEMs), plans to more than double its capacity by building a systems design and manufacturing facility in Columbia, SC. To meet growing customer demand for systems build-to-customer-order services, Solectron also anticipates the need to more than double its Columbia workforce in the next five years, creating more than 500 new jobs.
The South Carolina facility will continue to offer a full range of systems design and manufacturing services across the entire product life cycle, including build-to-order, configure-to-order and complex systems assembly, systems integration, software duplication and logistics and distribution management. The facility currently serves customers in the PC, workstation, server and networking industries.
"Consumers today are demanding that their computing products be customized to fit their specific needs," said Dr. Ko Nishimura, Solectron's chairman, president and CEO. "In order to respond to this changing market requirement, OEMs must put in place a new manufacturing model with customized build-to-order, configure-to-order and rapid fulfillment services. This involves a significant capital investment, state-of-the-art technology and the most efficient and integrated supply chain. Due to the enormous cost associated with this infrastructure, OEMs are turning to Solectron for a complete product delivery solution. We have been in the systems assembly business since 1980, and with our new facility, our ever-expanding service offering and our advanced technology, Solectron is in a position to grow our systems business even further."
"We are thrilled to be part of the vast economic development in Lexington County and hope to encourage its continued growth," said Joe Foster, vice president and general manager of Solectron's facility in South Carolina. "Columbia is an ideal location due to its proximity to Solectron's other East Coast operations, South Carolina's exceptional business climate and the abundance of skilled engineering and manufacturing talent in the local community."
The new facility will be located in the CAE Industrial Park adjacent to the Metropolitan Airport in Lexington County, one mile from its current location. In the first phase of growth, Solectron will build two 135,000 square-foot manufacturing buildings and a 40,000 square-foot research and development facility on 61 acres. The campus has potential to grow to 580,000 square feet in five years. The company is expected to break ground on the new facility this summer and anticipates completion in April 2000. Solectron will move out of its current 207,000 square-foot facility at that time.
Solectron established a presence in South Carolina as a result of the 1998 acquisition of NCR's Computer Systems and Retail Solutions groups. As part of the acquisition, Solectron assumed NCR manufacturing operations in Ireland, Georgia and South Carolina, and significantly enhanced its systems assembly capabilities specifically in the areas of design, supply-chain management, systems integration and test, build-to-order, configure-to-order and fulfillment. The current South Carolina facility employs approximately 470 associates and is ISO 9001 certified.