Nokia manufacturer HMD Global will move part of its production to Europe
HMD Global, the manufacturer of Nokia phones, wants part of its production to take place in Europe. Like other major smartphone manufacturers, HMD currently only has its phones made in Asia, but this should change in the third quarter of 2023.
HMD chooses this to meet the ‘growing demand’ from customers for devices that are locally produced, including for privacy and security reasons. The Finnish company stated this in a press conference which TechCrunch, among others, writes about. This step should also serve as a way to reduce its ecological footprint.
It is not the intention to stop production in Asia, where all Nokia devices are now manufactured. This step is only intended for the European market, chief marketing officer Lars Silberbauer emphasizes in the press conference. It is seen by HMD as a way to ‘attract new customers with very specific localization requirements’.
The transition to European production is happening step by step, says Silberbauer. This primarily concerns 5G phones intended for ‘security-conscious industries’ that are offered purely as a B2B product. Because of this ‘security-conscious’ market, HMD will not say in which countries exactly the devices will be manufactured.
Production will not initially take place entirely in Europe; the necessary materials are collected in China, where the ‘initial safety check’ is also carried out. These parts are then taken to Europe, where the assembly is completed. The first ‘European’ phones are expected to be ready in the third quarter of the year. The marketing head says that the intention is to produce ‘at least one’ device in Europe in the future that is intended for consumers.
In 2019, HMD Global decided to store the data of all Nokia phones in Europe, to be precise in Finland. The company said it chose this to ensure safety and comply with GDPR legislation.
HMD signed an agreement in 2016 that gives it exclusive brand rights to Nokia for ten years. After this, the company released several phones and tablets with the Nokia brand name. On Saturday the company released two new smartphones, the Nokia G22 and C32.