Motorola Inc, the world's second-biggest mobile-phone maker, plans to invest US$60 million in Singapore over the next two years and hire 200 workers to boost its supply management.
The company will invest in facilities for procurement, sourcing, manufacturing and customer service, it said in a statement in Singapore yesterday. Motorola has four factories in Asia, including Singapore, Malaysia, and two in China. Motorola employs more than 20,000 people in eight countries in Asia, including about 2,500 in Singapore.
"Singapore stands out in the region because of its key role in supporting our business throughout the region," chief executive officer Ed Zander said in a press conference. "This will help us to respond to changes in markets worldwide more quickly, more efficiently and more seamlessly."
Motorola and larger rival Nokia Oyj are expanding in Asia, where restrictions on telecommunications are being eased and rising incomes are fueling demand for mobile phones. Zander, 59, is also battling to snatch market share from Nokia and widen its lead over Asian rivals Samsung Electronics Co and LG Electronics Inc.
"Asia is one of the bright spots," said Albert Lin, an American Technology Research analyst in San Francisco, who has a "buy" rating on Motorola.
"Motorola has been making quite a few investments in improving the sales and distribution of Motorola products in Asia," he said.
Nokia on May 23 said it plans to invest 50 million euros (US$64 million) to build the company's greater China headquarters in Beijing.
Motorola has "seen explosive growth" in Asia and will continue to invest in the region, Zander said. The company "can grow market share over the next year" although it won't be at the expense of profit margins.
Motorola's global market share rose to 20.3 percent in the three months ended March 31 from 16.7 percent a year earlier, the highest in at least five years, according to industry researcher Gartner Inc. Nokia's market share rose to 34 percent from 30.4 percent a year earlier.
"The industry is showing good growth, more so than what we anticipated," Zander said, declining to elaborate.
"Countries such as India, China, Southeast Asia, Latin America and Europe continue to grow. We're seeing that surge in terms of demand," he said.
Manufacturing plans for India are "imminent," Stu Reed, executive vice president for integrated supply chain, said yesterday.
Motorola invested about US$85 million in India last year and expects to increase the amount by as much as 15 percent, to US$98 million, this year for research and development and marketing. The company, which employs 3,000 people in India, assembles some low-cost handsets through its local partners.
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