InFocus planning smartphone manufacturing hub in India

InFocus, the US-based smartphone brand, is planning a manufacturing hub for devices as part of the government's Digital India and Make in India initiatives and proposes to launch new smartphones on Wednesday in an exclusive tie-up with Amazon, a senior official has said.

Sachin Thapar, country head of InFocus Mobiles, did not disclose where the company intends to set up its manufacturing shop, but said they were keen to join two of Prime Minister Narendra Modi's pet projects.

"By providing internet-enabled devices at various price points, we are playing a pivotal role in the prime minister's vision of mobile-governance. The common man in the farthest corner of India will have access to various government services in the palm of his hand," Thapar told IANS.

A manufacturing plant in India, he said, was part of that plan. "Work on the project will begin in September."

As for marketing and sales of smartphones, Thapar said that the company looks at the prospect for each device before deciding which e-commerce platform it feels is the best option to sell its products.

"We are focussed on choosing the right platform for every product roll out. Therefore, it is natural that for different devices, the mode of retail varies," he said.

"The choice is based on its reach, target markets and marketing strategies. Our aim is to always leverage the strengths of each platform to provide the right kind of audience for our different smartphones, each of which has a distinctive unique selling proposition."

According to the handset maker, India was an important market. "We will continue to invest in this rapidly-emerging economy by introducing more products and expanding our human resource pool as and when needed," Thapar said.

"We are also investing heavily in strategy and market research to truly tap the desires and aspirations of the highly discerning consumer base of the country."

(Anirban Ghoshal can be contacted at anirban.g@ians.in <mailto:anirban.g@ians.in>)