Huawei Marine's new manufacturing plant ramps up for West African submarine cable system build

Huawei Marine Networks Co., Ltd. (Huawei Marine), a global submarine cable networks provider, announced the commercial operation of their second generation undersea repeater and branching unit manufacturing plant in Dongguan, China. The factory is ramping-up to full production capacity as Huawei Marine prepares for a new project in the West African region.

Completed in April 2012, with an initial investment of US$9 million, the new Dongguan plant is 3,700 square meters, of which 1,600 square meters is dedicated to a world-class clean room facility, comprising Class 1,000 (1k) and Class 10,000 (10k) clean rooms to meet the most rigorous standards of particulate management and environmental control for repeater assembly and sealing. The plant is also equipped with newly developed technology and production facilities for the manufacturing, assembly, testing, quality management and assurance of all core elements associated with building undersea repeaters and branching units. The key technologies and equipment to be used include the world-class Optical Amplifier Module final assembly equipment, Automatic Test Equipment (ATE), Hydraulic Test Equipment, a Hermeticity Verification system, and a full set of tools for repeater and branching unit integration.  All of this enables the highly precise and reliable assembly of these innovative subsea products to meet and exceed the 25-year reliability lifespan required by the industry.

Currently, the new Dongguan plant can support production capacity of 20 repeater modules per month but is engineered to meet future market demand by up to four times this throughput, culminating in 80 units per month. When the plant operates at full manufacturing capacity, it will be one of the largest in the world and is able to support the construction of two transoceanic systems in one year.

The new plant will also deploy the in-house developed repeater integration processes, equipment, and facilities incorporating the industry standard UJTM cable jointing solutions which are firmly built into the repeater and branching unit designs. Modularized and containerized, the platform enables system integration to take place in cable factories, remote locations or, potentially, onboard suitable vessels, offering flexibility and efficiency for customers. Each integration platform can currently handle a rate of 10 repeater integrations per month, per site or factory. The application of proven UJTM technology, together with an innovative repeater design, can provide operational benefits and simplification, enabling significant savings in project cost and time.

Huawei Marine's production team at the new plant consists of optical and electrical experts, mechanical engineers, and production technicians, who have undergone rigorous production training and are experienced in repeater and branching unit production process for major commercial projects.

The new Dongguan plant is also located near Huawei Marine's terrestrial production plant which offers production for dry plant products, such as Submarine Line Terminal Equipment (SLTE), Submarine Line Monitor (SLM), etc., enabling the integrated inspection, testing, and handover of both dry and wet plant products to customers.

"Manufacturing of the second generation repeaters and branching unit for our latest project has commenced. We are delighted to be bringing our state-of-the-art facility online so soon after construction. With such a strong foundation and clear focus, the journey ahead certainly looks exciting." said Nigel Bayliff, Chief Executive Officer of Huawei Marine.

Source: Huawei

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