Landis+Gyr’s Smart Meter Manufacturing Facility Named A Top 10 Manufacturing Plant

ATLANTA, Dec. 15, 2010 /PRNewswire/ — The Landis+Gyr advanced electric meter manufacturing plant in Reynosa, Mexico has been recognized as one of the 10 best plants in North America by IndustryWeek magazine for 2010.

IndustryWeek’s Best Plant’s competition recognizes North American manufacturing facilities that foster productive and competitive work environments and optimize customer satisfaction. Landis+Gyr’s Reynosa facility has greatly increased its production capacity to meet the high demand for advanced electric meters, such as the E350 FOCUS AX-SD, which is being installed in many of the largest utilities in America. The Landis+Gyr plant is among 10 winners selected from 20 finalists. Award finalists were chosen from several hundred applicants through a rigorous selection process that included on-site validation.

“Our goal is continuous improvement and this effort has allowed us to increase production by more than 200 percent over the past four years,” said Aubrey Williams, Vice President of Operations at the facility. “The ability to meet the sharply rising demand for smart metering products is a result of our employees, technology partners and customers demanding the same high standards.”

The Landis+Gyr Reynosa facility is home to 665 employees, located just five miles across the McAllen, Texas border. The so-called “maquiladora” plant operates under the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA) established by U.S. and Mexican governments to improve economic conditions and cross-border trade.

The plant is one of the most modern in the Landis+Gyr network, and has been certified by Measurement Canada to validate accuracy of metering products prior to shipment to Canada. More than 400,000 meters are manufactured each month at the plant for major smart meter deployments by utilities located across North America and the Caribbean.

The plant focuses on lean manufacturing, leadership development, supplier development and various projects aimed at reducing the facility’s carbon footprint. Efforts include, for example, increasing output of residential and commercial digital meters without significant capital investments. This requires strong working relationships with developers of smart grid technology. More than 90 percent of the meters produced at the plant include some form of communications technology, such as the integrated Gridstream™ communications modules for smart grid networks.

Landis+Gyr’s Reynosa staff actively volunteer to support the local community by donating IT equipment and providing hands on computer training to local schools; briefing local schools on environmental, health and safety; donating to local Red Cross; supporting orphanages with donations; and supporting and promoting local sports teams. In addition, Landis+Gyr funds and supports an annual health fair, a 5k run and an internship program to provide local students hands on training and development in all departments.

“Over the years, Landis+Gyr has truly become part of the Reynosa community and we take this opportunity very seriously,” Williams said. “Our employees are dedicated to not only enhancing their own workplace, but giving back to the local Reynosa population, whose support makes our day-to-day work possible.”

About Landis+Gyr

Landis+Gyr is the leading provider of integrated energy management solutions tailored to energy company needs. With a global presence and a reputation for quality and innovation, Landis+Gyr is unique in its ability to deliver true end-to-end advanced metering solutions. Today, the Company offers the broadest portfolio of products and services in the electricity metering industry, and is paving the way for the next generation of smart grid. With annualized sales of more than US$1.25 billion, Landis+Gyr operates in over 30 countries across five continents, and employs nearly 5,000 people with the sole mission of helping the world manage energy better.

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