Harris Plans Brazilian Manufacturing Operation

Harris Corp. has announced plans to establish a manufacturing operation in Brazil. The operation will construct transmitter products and the company is currently searching for a suitable location in the Campinas area, about 80 miles northwest of Sao Paulo, and which is referred to as Brazil’s “Silicon Valley.” The company expects that the Brazilian presence will provide improved lead time, more competitive pricing and better post-sales support to its Brazilian customers.

“Brazil is one of the five biggest media markets in the world, and we always knew we needed to have a strong presence there,” said Tim Thorsteinson, president of Harris Broadcast Communications. “This initiative is part of detailed, long-term strategy that Harris put in motion several years ago, with the plan being to launch once the DTV rollout gained momentum. A Campinas facility would enable us to maximize the cost benefit equation for our customers by creating direct tax benefits for them, while also ensuring high-quality post sales support and better customer service.”

Harris has introduced its Maxiva UAX series of air-cooled transmitters for low- and mid-power UHF multimedia broadcasters in Latin America and has targeted this line for manufacture in the planned Brazilian facility.

“We are extremely happy about this initiative and the incredible benefits that it will bring to our customers, who for a very long time have shared our vision and desire for getting one of the best products in the world built in Brazil,” said Nahuel Villegas, regional vice president of Harris Broadcast Communications for the Caribbean and Latin America. “The timing of it all could not be better for Brazil or for Harris.”