Nokia Shifts Some U.S. Manufacturing South Of The Border, Overseas

ByJohn S. McClenahen Despite the high-sounding spin the company is putting on the production shift, Nokia Corp. is laying off employees at factories in North Texas to cut costs and sustain market share. About 800 workers are expected to lose their jobs as some mobile phone production is shifted during the next five months to Nokia facilities in Mexico and South Korea from two plants in Ft. Worth. Manufacturing currently done at the Diplomacy Road/Centreport plant will be sent south to Mexico and overseas to South Korea and, says Nokia, the plant will be subleased. Nokia expects that its Alliance factory will focus "on more engineering support for the Americas and fulfillment for the U.S. market." But the facility will continue to manufacture mobile phones. "We are firmly committed to building on our market-leading position as our products and or business evolve," says K-P Wilska, president of Nokia-Americas. "Likewise we remain firmly committed to our Alliance facility and to the city of Ft. Worth, and we intend to be here for many years to come."