Event
Summary
Chelmsford, MA-Cisco Systems, Inc. (NASDAQ:CSCO) has reached an agreement
to purchase the vacant Compaq/Digital Systems facility in Salem, NH. This
facility consists of 110 acres and a manufacturing/office facility of
674,000 square feet.
This
New England Manufacturing Center ties in with Cisco Systems plans to develop
a strong presence inside New England. Earlier this year Cisco announced
plans to open a facility called the New England Development Center in
Massachusetts.
The New England Manufacturing Center is going to be utilized for the enormous
growth in Optical Networking. The next generation of networking equipment
is only part of the plan for this facility. This facility will also produce
traditional high-speed switching and routing equipment.
Market
Impact
The New England Manufacturing Center is looking to leverage the tremendous
talent pool inside New England to further the development of Optical Networks.
Optical based networks are being driven by the growing demand for bandwidth
and high volumes of data required for true voice over IP, video and data
applications.
With the growing demands on corporate network infrastructure and Internet
based applications this facility plays a major role towards developing
the next generation of Optical Networking for Cisco. Cisco's intent to
use this facility to both design and test the next generation of network
hardware shows Cisco's commitment to its user community.
Cisco plans on having 500 employees producing Optical-networking equipment
by years end in its new Salem Facility. Cisco anticipates this facility
to employ 2,500 people within the next 3 to 5 years.
User
Recommendations
The job market just got a little brighter inside New England for qualified
personnel. Cisco's announcement will help decrease the already low unemployment
figures in Massachusetts and New Hampshire and increase competition for
top-notch IT professionals.