OPENING OF THE TELTONIKA TECHNOLOGY CENTRE IN MOLĖTAI

More than 200 guests, including Prime Minister Ingrida Šimonytė, Minister of the Economy and Innovation Aušrinė Armonaitė, the Mayor of Molėtai Saulius Jauneika, architects and builders of the centre, and others, came to congratulate Teltonika on the occasion.

“When we talk about the vision of “New Generation Lithuania”, we highlight the importance of a fundamental economic transformation towards modern, flexible solutions based on cooperation between science and business. We want to be decisive, innovative and strong, but we also believe that Lithuanian regions are vital; therefore, we need to give more autonomy to them, let their opportunities unfold, and provide investment incentives to act more freely and take responsibility. I have no doubt that the Teltonika Technology Centre in Molėtai will give this region more strength. It is also significant that a Lithuanian-owned company group sets an example for foreign investors, encourages them to invest in Lithuania and dispels the myth that Russia’s brutal invasion of Ukraine has made the entire Eastern European region unsafe,” said Prime Minister Ingrida Šimonytė, thanking Arvydas Paukštys and the entire Teltonika company group for undertaking projects of high added value.

“Lithuania is pursuing an ambitious goal of increasing spending on research and development to 1.5% of GDP by 2024. By investing in scientific development, we can create more high-paying jobs, attract more investment to our country and promote Lithuania’s name. This is a new phase in Lithuania’s economic growth, and Teltonika is one of the companies at the forefront of this change. I thank the company for its investment and wish it success in implementing all planned 14 investment projects in our country,” said Minister of the Economy and Innovation Aušrinė Armonaitė.

Project completed in less than a year

The technology centre was built in just over nine months. On January 7, we buried a symbolic time capsule to mark the beginning of construction works. And only five months later, we celebrated the nearing completion of the building by holding a wreath topping-out ceremony. Today, at Paluokesos st. 11 in Molėtai, you can see a modern building with the blue Teltonika logo adorning its facade.

“It has indeed been a really busy year, with construction works underway, development and order of various equipment, hundreds of job interviews, and recruitment and training of new colleagues. I am proud of the entire Teltonika team and our partners who contributed to the implementation of this project,” says Paulius Rutkauskas, head of the Technology Centre.

Recruitment going at full speed

Around 150 specialists have already been employed at the Teltonika Technology Centre, and in a few years, this number will grow to 500. The recruitment process started even before the construction was underway. The new employees from Molėtai and the surrounding towns had the opportunity to master the necessary skills in Vilnius as well as to get acquainted with the company’s activities and work culture.

President of Teltonika IoT Group Arvydas Paukštys described how the recruitment process took place when the construction was still unfinished:

“Building a high-tech industry in a city with no high-tech specialists is a huge challenge. Given the circumstances, we were looking for people who weren’t necessarily experienced in the field but were willing to learn and acquire the required skills. So, long before the opening, we employed around 100 people and organised several months’ training for them in Vilnius, where they also learned our values and culture. We paid for their daily trips from Molėtai to Vilnius and included the travel time in the working hours. We did everything we could to make sure that the people could master the fundamental skills as smoothly as possible so that by the time the new factory opened, they would have a good understanding of their work and all the processes. This is our investment in people, in developing their talents.”

Centre for production of innovative devices

In our new home in Molėtai, by applying our 24 years of experience, we will be developing and manufacturing high-tech connectivity solutions, such as 4G and 5G routers, and our newest EV charging solutions, the mass production of which has already started in our manufacturing plant in Vilnius. In the near future, we will also be producing state-of-the-art telemedicine equipment, including artificial lung ventilation devices and smart medical watches detecting atrial fibrillation, in the technology centre in Molėtai.

Here, specialists of various spheres can find their vocation: electronics engineers, robotic system operators, warehouse managers, maintenance engineers, process engineers, operators, quality engineers, testers, assemblers, shift and department managers and others.

In a specially designed training space, we will hold regular educational sessions for schoolchildren and young people to broaden their knowledge of high technologies and engineering innovations

One of the major aims of this project is to offer the residents of the Molėtai region and the surrounding areas the same working conditions that are available to Teltonika employees in Vilnius. The technology centre should encourage more people to pursue engineering careers and students to take an interest in the exact sciences.

“I hope that young people will stay and work in Molėtai. They like technology, and I think that as a technology company, Teltonika should motivate them to stay instead of moving to big cities. Molėtai should rejuvenate. This region, surrounded by nature, is favourable for families with children. And, for entertainment, you can easily go to Vilnius. If I had a job like the one I offer as an employer, I don’t think I would have left Molėtai. Unfortunately, there were no such offers in my time,” says Arvydas Paukštys, a native of Molėtai.

The Teltonika Technology Centre will play a social role in the region. Here, we will provide locals with an opportunity to learn, work in a culture of mutual trust and respect and earn a living. However, they must have a desire and motivation to grow and improve.

“Our immediate goal in Molėtai is to triple the number of employees to 500 within a few years. The second goal is to continue improving our employees’ skills so they can earn the same income as their colleagues in Vilnius. If we succeed, people will start families and build houses here, a greater demand for various services will arise, and more small businesses will start emerging. We want the population of Molėtai to grow, not shrink, and a higher demand for new kindergartens and schools will also make us glad," says A. Paukštys.