08/21/2012 16h53

Rohde & Schwarz announces first plant of the Americas in São Paulo

Subsidiary of the German company will produce items that previously had to be imported; production begins in September with 30 new employees and investment of US$ 15 million.

Rohde & Schwarz, a world leader in the segments of Professional Communication and Test & Measurement and world leader in the area of digital TV transmitters and other technologies related to RF, announced on Tuesday, August 21, at the Broadcast & Cable show, that it will build in the city of São Paulo its first plant in the Americas. This will allow the company to produce in Brazil items that, until now, were imported.  The plant will be located in the district of Jurubatuba, and it arrived in the state through the support from Investe São Paulo, an agency working to attract investments and competitiveness to the state.

“The settlement of a plant in this sector is strategic to São Paulo. We have representation in over 70 countries, but we will produce here due to the power that the state has. We thank the governor Geraldo Alckmin and his secretaries and Investe São Paulo for all the support,” said Hector Vita, CEO of the Brazilian subsidiary of the company.

About US$ 15 million will be invested in the new plant, which has approximately two thousand square meters. In addition to relocating employees already working in the unit of Chácara Santo Antônio, the plant will have about 30 new employees - 17 of them engineers. The production is expected to begin in December 2012, initially with digital TV transmitters and receivers for radio, monitoring and localization. It is expected that by 2016 the plant sales reach R$ 38 million.

The company also allocates 4% of its revenue to research and development in the areas of communication and security, and will build a new advanced laboratory for radio frequency tests. The State of São Paulo was chosen by the German company for being the home to most of its customers. “The consumer market is one of the main factors in attracting businesses to the state, along with skilled labor, infrastructure and quality of life,” said Luciano Almeida, president of Investe São Paulo.

Rohde & Schwarz has been in Brazil for approximately 12 years. Headquartered in Munich, it operates in the electronics, communications, aerospace and defense markets. It currently has 8500 employees worldwide – with 5,500 of them in Germany and 40 in São Paulo.

About Investe São Paulo
Investe São Paulo is the gateway for companies that intend to settle their operations in the state, besides stimulating the expansion of businesses that are already settled in São Paulo.  The agency provides strategic information free of charge, helping investors find the best locations for their businesses and facilitating the interaction of companies with public and private entities.

The duties of Investe São Paulo include welcoming foreign delegations, presenting investment opportunities in the state, prospecting new business, providing information to contribute in the development of São Paulo, in addition to promoting the image of the state in Brazil and abroad as a destination of investments.