SAO PAULO, Aug. 23 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- Harris
Corporation (NYSE: HRS), an international communications and
information technology company, today opened a new factory in
Brazil to manufacture low- and
mid-power UHF television transmitter products to support the
region's transition to digital television. The facility will
enable Harris customers in the region to benefit from competitive
pricing, improved lead-time and immediate access to post-sales
support.
Located in Campinas, a region 80 miles northwest of Sao Paulo, the plant will produce Harris®
Maxiva™ UAX air-cooled solid-state transmitters for distribution to
broadcasters across Brazil, as
well as throughout Mercosur (the Common Market of the South) and
other Latin American countries.
The strong growth potential of the Brazilian broadcast market
was one reason Harris decided to invest in a local manufacturing
presence. In preparation for an analog shut-off date in 2016,
Brazilian broadcasters are in the process of migrating to the
ISDB-Tb digital format that has been adopted in the country.
To date, only 120 channels out of the approximately 10,000
television licenses that currently exist in Brazil have made the transition from analog to
digital.
"With the DTV rollout just beginning to gain momentum, and with
the world's highest-profile sporting events coming to Brazil in 2014 and 2016, the timing of this
initiative could not be better for Harris or our customers," says
Nahuel Villegas, vice president,
CALA Sales and Services, Harris Broadcast Communications. "We
are pleased to support this exciting time in Brazil's broadcast history with a local
manufacturing presence that will enable us to maximize value for
our loyal customers in the region."
The new Brazil operation will
allow Harris to leverage several advantages of the region, such as
Mercosur trade agreements and the Basic Productive Process (PPB),
which provides tax incentives for products produced in the country.
Harris has also registered its Maxiva UAX transmitters with
the Brazilian Development Bank (BNDES), which will enable its
customers to obtain financing from BNDES — further increasing the
company's competitiveness in the Brazilian market.
The Campinas factory is designed to scale to meet demands as
they increase and track market trends. The new plant will
produce transmitters available in the low-to-medium digital power
levels, as Harris expects that transmitters in this power range
will comprise approximately 90 percent of the local market demand
over the next five years.
Harris has been adapting its broadcast products to ISDB-Tb since
Brazil adopted the standard, and
now offers a complete, cost-effective ISDB-Tb solution that
includes transmitters, SD and HD encoders, multiplexers, single-
and multi-frequency networking adapters, closed caption generators
and gap fillers. Harris is the market leader in ISDB-Tb
systems in Brazil, with more than
60 transmitters sold throughout the region to date.
Harris Broadcast Communications offers products, systems and
services that provide interoperable workflow solutions for
broadcast, cable, satellite and out-of-home networks. The
Harris ONE™ solution brings together highly integrated and
cost-effective products that enable advanced media workflows for
emerging content delivery business models.
About Harris Corporation
Harris is an international communications and information
technology company serving government and commercial markets in
more than 150 countries. Headquartered in Melbourne, Florida, the company has
approximately $5 billion of annual
revenue and more than 16,000 employees — including nearly 7,000
engineers and scientists. Harris is dedicated to developing
best-in-class assured communications® products, systems, and
services. Additional information about Harris Corporation is
available at www.harris.com.
SOURCE Harris Corporation
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