Goodbye Moto, hello Nokia Siemens in Arlington Heights
Nokia Siemens Networks unveiled a new sign, and a new era, Thursday as it finally settled into the historic Arlington Heights campus once occupied by Motorola Inc.
That new look and brand was long delayed, all while rumors of layoffs still were hanging in the air. After all, Nokia Siemens announced in June that it would cut its worldwide workforce, especially those focusing on the waning WiMax technologies, some of which is done in Arlington Heights.
Nokia Siemens officials declined to comment about the impact on the suburban campus. The company only said it would make attempts to move talent to other growing areas, including newer technologies that include Long Term Evolution, known as LTE.
Still, about 400 of the roughly 1,300 workers at the site were wearing purple, pink, orange and white colors to help celebrate the christening of the campus.
“With the unveiling of this new company sign, and the signage you are seeing around the campus, we turn a milestone,” Susan Schramm, head of marketing and corporate affairs/North America, told the workers as they gathered outside. “We are saying to the world very visibly that we are firmly committed to North America, and to further leveraging the brain trust of innovation in this industry and here in Illinois.”
Schramm said later that the Arlington Heights campus is becoming the home of many global divisions for the company, including quality control, research and development and others.
“We wanted to bring the employees together and create a connection with the community and let them know we're committed to Arlington Heights,” she said.
Last year, Motorola Inc. sold its Networks business to Nokia Siemens Networks, but the close of the sale was delayed while they awaited approval from the Chinese government.
Then Huawei Technologies Co. Ltd., a provider of telecommunications network devices with offices in Rolling Meadows, stalled the deal further. That Chinese company wanted to prevent Motorola from “illegally transferring” Huawei's intellectual property to Nokia Siemens Networks.
By January, Motorola Inc. separated into two publicly traded companies, Motorola Mobility and Motorola Solutions, which included the Networks business and had about 1,800 workers in Arlington Heights at the time.
By April, the deal had the necessary government approvals and the lawsuit was over, allowing Nokia Siemens to move in.
On Thursday, hundreds of employees yelled “Move the tarp” ala Extreme Makeover's “Move the Bus” refrain. And there was the new Nokia Siemens sign facing Route 53. No more Motorola batwings.
Still, Motorola's grand history at the site was noted.
“As Nokia Siemens Networks raises its profile here in the area, we are building upon the long heritage of Motorola,” said Bill Payne, head of innovation and chief technology officer for North America. “Motorola built its first building here in 1976, and we've been a proud part of the Arlington Heights community for 35 years. Our employees work, live, play and consume in this community. We at Nokia Siemens Networks look forward to continuing to be a good neighbor here in Arlington Heights.”
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