Cisco opens optics plant in New Hampshire

Cisco opens optics plant in New Hampshire
SALEM, N.H. — Cisco Systems Inc. opened a 674,000-square-foot manufacturing center in New England to handle manufacturing for its various photonics operations. Cisco plans to make capital investments of more than $100 million in the site and hire more than 2,500 workers for the facility over the next three to five years.

The New England Manufacturing Center, located here, will use a "portable photonics manufacturing process" to help automate the manufacture of photonic components and subsystems, Cisco said.

The manufacturing center will augment Cisco's massive expansion of its optical systems division in Richardson, Texas, the former headquarters of Monterey Networks Inc. Cisco made a strong step into optical transport when it acquired Monterey Networks and Cerent Corp. last year.

The plant will construct the wavelength router developed by Monterey Networks, as well as optical interfaces for Cerent Sonet equipment, Cisco 16000-class core routers, and similar products.