We'll set up more manufacturing units in India: Xiaomi

After sharing the top slot for the first time with South Korean tech giant Samsung in the Indian smartphone market, Xiaomi on Tuesday said it is geared up to take "Make in India" to the next level by setting up more manufacturing units across the country from next year.

"We as a company are 100 per cent committed to 'Make in India'. This is something we started thinking in the begining of this year, that can we extend the same programme to other categories (of products) also," Manu Jain, Vice President, Xiaomi and Managing Director, Xiaomi India told IANS here.

The company announced its third manufacturing plant in the country based out of Noida and the first facility for power banks in partnership with Hipad Technology.

"This is the first non-phone category where we are extending 'Make in India' but we will be happy to extend it to other categories also as and when we reach a certain volume threshold," Jain added.

The Chinese smartphone maker also announced two power banks -- a 10,000mAh Mi Power Bank 2i and a 20,000mAh Mi Power Bank 2i -- that will be manufactured at the Noida facility.

Spread across 2.3 lakh square feet, the Noida unit is a dedicated facility for Xiaomi power banks where Mi Power Bank 2i will be assembled.

The starting production capacity for the unit is assembling seven power banks per minute during its operational hours.

The company already has two smartphone manufacturing plants in Sri City, Andhra Pradesh where more than 95 per cent of its smartphones (sold in India) are assembled locally.

"I believe a key reason for our success in the smartphone segment has been our commitment to the country. We want our India Mi Fans to enjoy the best-quality technology at an affordable rate, and manufacturing locally helps us achieve our vision," Jain told reporters here.

"We spoke to the team at Hipad Technology a year back and encouraged them to look at the Indian market to set up a power bank facility. It is also our partner in China for power banks," he added.

The 10,000mAh Mi Power Bank 2i is priced at Rs 799 while 20,000mAh Mi Power Bank 2i will cost Rs 1,499.

With a market share of 23.5 per cent and having shipped 9.2 million smartphones in the third quarter this year, Xiaomi also became the fastest growing smartphone brand in India with a growth rate of nearly 300 percent percent (year-on-year) in the third quarter this year, said International Data Corporation (IDC).

For Xiaomi, Redmi Note 4 continues to be the best-selling smartphone in India as the company shipped approximately four million units in the third quarter.

--IANS

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