ESPOO, Finland-Mobile phone maker Nokia plans to open a new manufacturing facility in Cluj, Romania, to tap into growing demand for mobile devices in Europe, the Middle East and Africa.

ESPOO, Finland-Mobile phone makerNokiaplans to open a new manufacturing facility in Cluj, Romania, to tap into growing demand for mobile devices in Europe, the Middle East and Africa. The $80 million plant will be the company’s 11th worldwide. Nokia selected Cluj because of the region’s existing supply of skilled labor and transportation infrastructure.

“Nokia is committed to ensuring good product availability and smooth deliveries to important markets,” says Raimo Puntala, Nokia senior vice president for operations and logistics.

The plant will ramp up in early 2008 and employ approximately 500 workers at full capacity. Currently, the company operates manufacturing facilities in Mexico, India, Germany, Hungary and Finland.