Motorola says sees manufacturing presence in India soon

SINGAPORE, June 5 (Reuters) Motorola Inc. , the world's second-largest cellphone maker, said on Monday it plans to announce a manufacturing presence in India soon.

''We are on track for a manufacturing presence in India. An announcement is imminent,'' Stu Reed, executive vice president for integrated supply chain operations at Motorola, told a news briefing.

He added that the manufacturing capability in India would involve both devices as well as infrastructure.

Motorola announced on Monday that it would invest million over the next two years to expand its global supply chain operations in Singapore. Motorola, which plans to recruit about 200 professionals in Singapore by the end of 2007, saidoverall improvements to its supply chain efficiency would be a key driver to boosting profits.

In the January-March quarter, Motorola ranked second with a global handset market share of 20.1 percent, behind industry leader Nokia Oyj's 32.8 percent, according to data from research outfit Strategy Analytics.

REUTERS CS RN1106