Oppo to join manufacturing bandwagon in India

Smartphone maker Oppo today said it is exploring options of manufacturing in India, a move that will help the Chinese firm bolster its presence in the burgeoning Indian handset market.
The company, which entered the Indian market last year, said it is in discussions with electronics major Foxconn for the facility and is likely to take a decision on the same by October this year.
"India is one of the most important part of our expansion plans around the world... We are exploring options. We are in discussions with Foxconn, its almost in the final stages, we will have more clarity by October," Oppo Mobiles India CEO Mike Wang told PTI.

He added that the company may also look at the option of setting up its own assembly line.
One of the fastest growing smartphone markets globally, India is poised to overtake the US as the second-largest market in the next few years. Shipments in India grew 44 per cent to 26.5 million units in April-June, as per research firm IDC.
Also, over the past few months, global smartphone makers like Asus, Motorola and Gionee have stated that they are considering manufacturing in India, where the government is pushing through its 'Make in India' initiative.

Last month, Chinese firm Xiaomi opened its manufacturing facility in partnership with Foxconn in Vishakhapatnam.

Oppo, which launched two new handsets today -- R7 Plus (Rs 29,990) and R7 Lite (Rs 17,990), aims to sell 1.1 million units by the end of the year. It now has 19 devices in its portfolio in India.
"We have seen a wonderful response to our devices. We are well on our way to sell 1.1 million devices by December and 1.5 million units by March next year," he said.
The company is also working on expanding its retail presence in the country from 4,600 points of sale to 8,000-10,000 by the end of this year.
"This year the focus is on strengthening the offline channel. In the next one or two years, we will work on the online bit too," Wang said.

R7 Plus features a six-inch display, 1.5GHz octa-core processor, 3GB RAM, 13MP rear and 8MP front camera, 32GB memory (expandable up to 128GB).
R7 Lite has a 1.3 GHz octa-core processor, 2GB RAM, 16GB memory (expandable upto 128GB), 13MP rear and 8MP front camera.