The plants are put in commission

On August 28th an important moment in the development of the General Satellite Corporation took place. Two radio electronic equipment plants – the JSC “Research and Production enterprise CTS” and LLC “Prankor” were put in commission in the town of Gousev. An official ceremony marked the event, which consolidated the Corporation’s leading position in the manufacturing of digital TV equipment in Russia.

The president of the Corporation A.Tkachenko said at the ceremony: “Our Corporation has no intention of stopping with the start of these two plants.. It is very important that the place where we plan to live and work is energized, that it is made even more attractive for others. Our products comply with the highest industry standards, and we want the living standards of our employees to do the same. It was for that reason we undertook the Gousev Technopolis project together with the Municipal Region Administration. Besides the two factories now in operation, a number of new ones will be started as well – next year, in 2010, it is our plan to open the folding carton plant and the housing works. It is our hope that the first low rise houses will be constructed by this plant next year in Gousev. We also plan to improve the state of housing, social and household infrastructure, business-centre and not only. We have reasons to believe that the products of our technopolis will come into demand in other parts of the Region as well.”.

The Governor and other members of Kalinigrad’s regional government also took part in the ceremony along with the leadership of the Gousev Municipal District and Gousev town. Mr. G.V.Boos congratulated the General Satellite Corporation and the plant employees on the event, one of great importance not only for them, but for the entire region, and which would play such an important role in the switch of Russian TV to digital broadcasting. The Gousev plants are unique in that they are the only full cycle production of its kind in Europe. According to the Governor,the beginning of enterprises in Gousev is an indication of the fact, that the region of Kaliningrad was coming out of the recession.

During the ceremony Mr. Boos stated that the region of Kaliningrad in its entirety could expect to have access to a digital signal by 2010, while the Federal target-oriented program for the digital TV switchover in Russia called for a complete switch only by 2015.  The leading positions of the region in this sphere would be provided by close co-operation with the General Satellite Corporation.

The “Research and Production enterprise CTS” and “Prankor” enterprises fell within the framework of the project “Territory of scientific and technological development – Technopolis Gousev”. Theproject was funded by The General Satellite Corporation’s Association of Radio Electronic Equipment Traders and Producers of Kaliningrad Region.

Beginning at the end of 2007 the enterprise, production of STBs for terrestrial and digital signal reception, has taken place on the leased premises. Alongside production at the leased premises the construction of the new premises for radio electronic production has been underway since 2008. It is expected that the new plants will significantly increase the volume of equipment produced as along with the number of employees – up to 1000 people. As a result, the enterprise will become the main employer in Gousev town. A year and a half passed from the laying of the foundation stone up to the time the plants were fully prepared to begin operating.

What makes the “Research and Production enterprise CTS” unique on the telecommunications market is: the equipment exploited, the advanced technology used, and output volume expected – up to 3,5  mln digital STBs per year. “Prankor” is equipped for the production of 4 mln cases of TV receivers, and 800 thousand satellite dishes per year.

The “Research and Production enterprise CTS” and “Prankor” are expected to fall in with the realization of the Federal program “Digital TV broadcast development in RF for 2009-2015”.