Spice Group to set up e-waste plant in UP

Plant would recycle discarded mobile phones to form the backend integration chain for proposed cellphone manufacturing unit

Homegrown mobile phone brand Spice has drawn up plans to set up an e-waste processing plant in Uttar Pradesh. The plant would recycle discarded mobile phones and thus form the backend integration chain for its proposed greenfield mobile phone manufacturing unit in the state.

The company has committed to invest Rs 500 crore towards setting up the two units. While, the mobile phone unit would be set up in Rampur district, the e-waste project would come up in the proposed electronic manufacturing cluster (EMC) being planned in Noida/Greater Noida. The cluster would have units of other companies as well.

Spice has also signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) in this regard. The e-waste plant could span 25-30 acres once the preliminary formalities like the detailed project report (DPR) are done with.

“The e-waste plant is a part of our strategy for backend integration and to generate more job opportunities in the state,” Spice Group Chairman & CEO Dilip Modi said here.

The mobile manufacturing unit would have initial capacity to produce a million low-cost smartphones per month, which could be ramped up to two million units.

“The phones would be priced below Rs 4,000 per unit, while the average price of our units would be Rs 2,000 to allow it within reach of common man,” he said. Modi claimed the two plants could generate direct and indirect jobs of about 1,00,000 in the state.

“Spice plans to create a complete mobile phone ecosystem comprising hardware and software components. We have also launched a Mobile App Fund to provide capital and infrastructure support to mobile app entrepreneurs,” he informed.

The fund would provide aid of up to Rs 5 crore to selected mobile app developers. “After China, India has the potential to become the next hub for ultra cheap smartphones with the potential to manufacture 500 million units per annum,” Modi asserted.