The move is likely to bring the brand closer to the Indian customers. Along with local manufacturing, Xiaomi is also planning to set up local data centers, which will be operational by next year.
Xiaomi seems highly focused on the Indian market as it reveals plans to locally manufacture its products. The company is reportedly mulling over using the idle Nokia plant in Chennai for this purpose.
"We are beginning to explore opportunities for manufacturing in India," Manu Jain, operations head for Xiaomi in India, is quoted as saying. "India is a big market and we would like to be close to our customers. We are looking at manufacturing from the perspective of cost benefits and taxes.”
Xiaomi will be looking for partners for assembling its devices. "The devices will be designed by us, in terms of the hardware and software. The partners can help us in the assembly of the devices," Jain added. "We have started to think on these lines, though we have not worked on any investments."
Xiaomi has been making an all out efforts to make its brand popular in India. The company has just launched the Redmi Note smartphone with support for the Indian 4G network. The phone is priced under Rs. 10,000 and targets the budget segment. Also read: Hands On: Xiaomi Redmi Note
The company has also announced setting up local data centers, which will go operational by next year.
As far as local manufacturing goes, Micromax is one of the popular brands that has begun local manufacturing. Another mobile phone brand Champion has established own manufacturing unit for smartphones and features phones in India.
The Modi-led Indian government has focussed on local manufacturing under its much hyped 'Make in India' campaign. Under the campaign, the companies are told how they can save on import duty and logistics costs as well as design products according to the Indian needs.
Source: Times of India
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