World-leading provider of telecommunications equipment Ericsson has made Optronic one of their preferred suppliers. The status follows a customer-client relationship that has spanned over many years.
“This is of course a significant achievement for us at Optronic and one that we will work hard to keep for a long time,” says Joacim Lindström, managing director at Optronic. “Looking at order volumes, Ericsson is our largest customer.”
Worth noting is that a preferred supplier status with Ericsson is something that is mainly reserved for larger companies than Optronic. Ericsson uses a scorecard for suppliers, grading them in a number of criteria like stability of the company’s finances, quality systems, processes for handling of suppliers and risk management.
“We appreciate the strategic way that Ericsson has handled this process and are of course pleased that we have earned such high marks,” says Lindström. “As for risk management, that was an area where we feel that we have developed as a result of the expectations that they placed on us.”
Optronic has been involved in several projects with Ericsson. The main project during the last few years have been manufacturing complex optoelectronic converter units, based on fiber optics. They have been delivered to Ericsson’s plant in Katrineholm where they have been assembled into full telecommunications nodes for both mobile and fixed networks.
“We have earned their trust,” says Robert Jonsson, key account manager at Optronic. “They know that we deliver as promised.”
After assembled in Katrineholm, the units are shipped all around the world to their final destinations.
“This is equipment used all over the place,” says Robert Jonsson. “From Nairobi in Kenya to Rio de Janeiro in Brazil. Although we are only a small part of it, it’s honouring to be involved in building tomorrow’s communications networks.”
