Symbol Technologies Opens Repair Center in Czech Republic as Part of the Company's Strategy to Enhance Customer Service

WINNERSH, UK, September 11, 2003 ? Symbol Technologies, Inc. (NYSE: SBL), a global leader in enterprise mobility solutions, today announced the opening of its new centralised International Repair Center (IRC) in Hodonin, South Moravia in the Czech Republic. The Company cited the availability of highly skilled local labour, an excellent transportation and communications infrastructure and the country's impending membership to the EU as reasons for selecting the region. The new centre is part of a global strategy to consolidate Symbol's major repair operations in Europe and North America to provide more efficient and effective customer service.

"We expect to see significant growth in EMEA and particularly in Central and Eastern Europe in the coming years," said Steve Priestley, vice president and general manager, Symbol EMEA Operations.

"To better serve our customers in the region, we have decided to make a significant investment in centralising our European repair operations in the Czech Republic. We expect that over the next five years traffic through the centre will increase eightfold," he added.

The new IRC will enable Symbol to consolidate European-wide repairs of Symbol products, currently performed at its repair centre in the United Kingdom and various subsidiary centres in Europe. As a result of the consolidation and accompanying investments, we expect to improve turnaround time for repairs and upgrades, and the quality of customer service.

The IRC is one of the first hi-tech services centres to be opened in the Czech Republic, and will be partially funded by grants provided by Czech Invest, a government agency for inward investment, as part of the country's expansive EU Accession programme.

"We selected the Czech Republic because it is ideally located to support all of our customers across Europe. Furthermore, the Czech Republic's membership of the EU will make it much easier to manage the regular import and export of repairs, thus helping to reduce transit times as well as improving service levels to customers," said Ed Walsh, senior director, Symbol EMEA Services.


About Symbol Technologies

Symbol Technologies, Inc. (NYSE:SBL) delivers enterprise mobility solutions that enable anywhere, anytime data and voice communication designed to increase productivity, reduce costs and realize competitive advantage. Symbol systems and services integrate rugged mobile computing, advanced data capture and wireless networking for the world's leading retailers, transportation and logistics companies and manufacturers as well as government agencies and providers of healthcare, hospitality and security. More information is available at http://www.symbol.com.

Source: Symbol Technologies