Sony's new BRAVIA LCD TV factory in Nitra, Slovakia, starts mass production

Sony's BRAVIA LCD TV factory in Nitra, Slovakia

The newly opened Nitra factory, which employs state-of-the-art equipment and focuses on production of large-size, high-end LCD TV sets, will operate as Sony's main LCD TV factory for the European market together with the Barcelona factory, in Spain. In 2008, production capacity of the Nitra site will reach 3 million LCD TV sets per year with approximately 3,000 employees.

In order to meet the rapidly increasing demand for LCD TVs in Europe, last November Sony commenced construction of its new factory in Nitra, Slovakia, located 40 km east of Trnava, where Sony has been producing LCD TVs since February 2006. In August 2007, the Nitra site began producing a limited number of BRAVIA LCD TVs. It was completed in this month and started mass production. Production lines that currently operate in the Trnava factory are scheduled to be relocated to the Nitra site early next year. By the end of 2008, the Nitra factory will have a production capacity of 3 million LCD TV sets per year and around 3,000 employees. After the transfer of the LCD TV production lines from Trnava to Nitra, Sony will run two factories in Europe producing LCD TVs - in Nitra and in Barcelona, Spain. The Nitra factory will make a full use of its state-of-the-art equipment to focus mainly on large-size, high-end Bravia LCD TV sets.

Meanwhile, following the transition of the LCD TV production lines to Nitra, the Trnava factory will continue producing tuners for the BRAVIA LCD TVs and providing technical support for the PlayStation products.

"The European LCD TV market is the largest of its kind and has a significant growth trend. To be successful for us means to be really flexible and fast. Sony's factory in Nitra is the first new production site since the emergence of the LCD TV era. It plays a strategic role with regard to our production capacity, but also acts as a supply base with innovative operations," said Takeshi Fukuda, the Corporate Executive of the TV Group.

"Our target is to achieve the leading and stable position on the LCD TVs market. In addition to our production plans, we take effort to be a responsible and reliable partner to our employees, as well as to the entire Nitra region. That is why we improve the work conditions and protect the environment at all times," stated Hajime Ushida, the managing director of Sony Slovakia. "Apart from regular projects aimed at energy savings, such as using motion sensors for lights, we also use free cooling system, a highly efficient cooler and compressor, or reuse waste heat from boiler economizer. Moreover, in the entire production we also utilize many environmentally friendly machines and work on several green projects," added Hajime Ushida.

Source: Sony