Firm to produce telephone sets

JAKARTA (JP): PT Gajah Tunggal National Electronics (GTNE), an export-oriented manufacturing company, will start producing one million telephones per year this year with a target of using up to 80 percent locally produced parts.

A director of the company, James Danuwijaya, told reporters here yesterday that his company, has exported 80 percent of its output to the United States, North Africa and Southeast Asia.

He estimated that its exports will double from US$5 million last year this year.

He said the company plans to expand its export this year to Eastern and Central Europe.

Danuwijaya said the local contents of the company's products are expected to increase from 60 percent at present to 80 percent some time in the future.

The local contents include plastic materials for telephone frames, printed circuit boards, capacitors and other supplementary equipment, while the transistors are still imported, he said.

He said they have invested around Rp 20 billion ($9.4 million) in its factory, which is scheduled to be inaugurated by Minister of Industry Tungky Ariwibowo on April 21.

The plant is located on 4.6-hectares in Pasir Jaya village of Bogor, West Java.

He said the company plans to manufacture cordless telephones, mini public automatic branch exchanges (PABX) and multi-coin telephone sets later this year. (fhp)