Fujitsu Telecommunications Ireland win BT contract

Fujitsu Telecommunications Europe has announced that its Antrim-based re-manufacturing and service division, Fujitsu Telecommunications Ireland, has been awarded a two-year million-pound-plus contract from BT.

The contract will cover the complete turnkey support of BT's Sovereign Paychoice coin-&-card payphones, including warehousing and logistics services. The contract involves the supply of refurbished payphone inventory to BT, with the products being processed from the installed base of some 28,000 Sovereign Paychoice units across the UK, and includes an optional extension for a third year.

The scope of the contract has also required Fujitsu to recruit additional staff for its Antrim-based operation, increasing the workforce by some 25%.

Commenting on the deal, Peter Bowman, Director of Fujitsu Telecommunications Ireland, said: "This is excellent news for Fujitsu and underlines the benefits of the re-manufacturing and refurbishment services we offer. We won the contract on our cost-effective ability to validate, repair and refurbish electronic and electro-mechanical assemblies to a high level. This contract win also underlines the breadth of services that Fujitsu offers the telecoms industry. On the one hand, our award-winning GeoStream Access Gateway MSAN technology is being supplied for BT's 21CN programme, to transform the UK network, while on the other, we are prolonging the working life of previous-technology payphones throughout the UK."

Fujitsu will be processing the payphone components as they are taken out of service, whether due to fault or vandalism, and will be providing complete mechanical, electronic and aesthetic refurbishment of the products. This encompasses the coin management mechanism and all electronic components, as well as the re-coating of the casework.

Fujitsu Telecommunications Ireland is based in a purpose-built 25,000 square-feet facility in County Antrim, Northern Ireland, and is located within minutes of Belfast International airport.

The division's prime focus is on the repair, refurbishment and re-manufacturing of electronic and electro-mechanical equipment - from business telephone systems and payphones, to leading-edge broadband technology and laptop computers.

It also provides its telecommunications customers with specialist cable manufacturing services.

Fujitsu Telecommunications Ireland helps customers to comply with WEEE (Waste Electrical and Electronic Equipment) legislation, by enabling existing inventory to be re-utilised and returned to the marketplace, to maximise its profitable lifespan and minimise the need for premature disposal.

(SP)