Telamon Writing Domestic, Global Story

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Carmel-based Telamon Corp. is continuing to grow its footprint in the U.S and abroad. The telecommunications network builder and automotive industry component supplier Friday announced the acquisition of Oklahoma-based CLS Group, which provides site acquisition, design/engineering and construction services in the telecommunications and oil and gas industries. In a recent interview on Inside INdiana Business with Gerry Dick, Chief Executive Officer Stanley Chen said the deal positions the company in play in the 5G mobile technology arena. It follows details released last month about Telamon’s plans for a $4 million facility in the European nation of Macedonia.

Chen said the company’s location in Indiana is an advantage. He said Telamon officials "absolutely were spending some time looking around" at other headquarters sites, but elected to begin a full-scale modernization last year at its long-time Carmel office. The renovations, Chen says, are about half way complete. "We’ve had a great experience with Carmel and Indiana, in general," he said. "All the things that you know about the pro-business environment here have been really helpful to us and we’ve been treated well. We have a good home and we wanted to keep it." In 2016, Telamon also launched a new Whitestown facility.

Chen says Telamon "made a big bet" three years ago by expanding its focus through investing in its automotive wire harness business. He says the Macedonia operation, which could eventually grow to employ 1,000, is an outgrowth of that strategy, fueled by technology advancements in areas including autonomous vehicles and safety. "So we went out and got into this wire harness business and so far, it’s proven us right."

Looking toward the future, Chen says "we can probably invest in anything, but we can’t invest in everything," so he is excited about the company’s pushes in telecommunications and automotive tech.