When it comes to government policies, the public usually maintains a cynical approach. 'Doesn't matter what policy politicians make. The condition remains the same,' people think. However, some policies do stand out with a sense of hope and promise of change. PM Modi's dream schemes 'Make in India' and 'Digital India' are two such schemes. Maybe because we have already experienced the impact of a digital revolution. We want more of it! And it would be a matter of pride if India becomes a manufacturing hub too. That is going to lead to several direct and indirect benefits for India. Creation of jobs being one of the most important.
I heard today that in the 2 years since the Make in India initiative started, 40 smartphone brands have established their manufacturing facilities in India. More are going to follow soon, I'm sure.
Today, on 23 rd September, 2016, Huawei announced the launch of its first manufacturing facility in India. Huawei, in partnership with Flex (a Sketch-to-Scale™ solutions provider) has set up the manufacturing facility in Chennai. As per the announcement made at Huawei's 'Make in India' inauguration ceremony, Huawei plans to manufacture its Honor series of smartphones in this Chennai based facility. This is being termed as a milestone in Huawei's journey into Indian smartphone market. Previous to this, Huawei has already setup its largest overseas R&D Center and a Global Service Center in Bengaluru.
Huawei is the third largest producer of smartphones in the world and second largest producer of Android smartphones. Huawei smartphones have been appreciated for their cutting-edge technology and durable quality. The Honor brand of smartphones cater to the price conscious consumers with their budget-friendly prices. The Huawei range has premium range smartphones (like Huawei P9) that help Huawei establishing itself as one of the leaders in innovation.
Announcing the manufacturing facility from Delhi, Shri Ravi Shankar Prasad, Honb'le Union Minister, Information & Technology, Law and Justice said, "I would like to congratulate Huawei on their commitment to pursue their 'Make in India' vision. The Government of India is pleased to see so much enthusiasm for our "Make in India" initiative. We are working towards making India an electronic manufacturing hub. As India is set to become the second largest smartphone market, our government would like to invite even more businesses to come and manufacture in India. This is an opportune time to start manufacturing from India. The smartphone landscape in India is growing every day and such initiatives by technology leaders will help accelerate the growth of local manufacturing industry in India."
The production of Huawei Honor smartphone in the Chennai based facility of Flex will start in October. The first Huawei smartphone to come out of this manufacturing unit will be Honor 5A. 3 million smartphones will be manufactured in the first phase (by the end of 2017). Besides manufacturing, this Huawei-Flex partnership to manufacture Huawei Honor smartphones in India is expected to lead to the creation of about 1500 jobs in India.
Flex will also be providing the after-sales services for Huawei smartphones. Huawei assures of strengthening its after sales services in India with setting up over 200 service centers in India. These would include more than 30 exclusive Huawei service centers. Huawei is also going to partner with over 50,000 retail outlets by the end of 2016 to increase its distribution base.
Mr. Jay Chen, CEO, Huawei India said, "We have been present in India for the last 16 years and as part of our India focus, we have been consistently expanding our footprint in the market. This year especially has been of significance in our India journey. We recently launched our world class GSC in Bengaluru and the start of manufacturing in India is an affirmation of our commitment to India and supports the Make in India campaign. We are convinced about the growth potential and future of India and we'll keep looking for opportunities to increase our presence here."
