Taking a cue from other big manufactures, Asus has also partnered with Foxconn to manufacture its smartphones in India. The Taiwanese manufacturer will be setting up the base in Sri City located in Andhra Pradesh. Just like other manufacturers, Asus is also trying to make a stronger position in the Indian market, which is growing tougher to survive due to the stiff competition.
Asus initiated the manufacturing process with the Zenfone 2 Laser followed by the ZenFone Go. Now, the company has set new target to manufacture up to 1.5 lakhs smartphones in India by the end of this financial year. The company’s India Country Manager (System Business Group) Peter Chang said,"India offers us a huge opportunity as smartphone penetration is just 10 per cent. We are excited to announce our local manufacturing facility that will cater to the growing demands of the market.”
The company is planning to invest around $5 million in the marketing of its Make in India move, and it is also aiming to sell the first batch of 20,000 units in the upcoming days. Asus is also hopeful that it will be able to grab 5% share in the Indian smartphone market, with revenue to increase up to $200 million from $120 million last year. India is slowly and steadily becoming the one stop destination for manufacturers, and is dubbed to overtake the United States as the second-largest smartphone market in few years from now. As per IDC, the shipments in India increased to 26.5 million units in April-June, which is a 44% jump from previous year.
Other manufacturers such as Xiaomi, Gionee, Motorola have already started assembling their smartphones in India. All of this can be attributed to the ‘Make in India’ campaign run by the Indian government. In another news, Asus is also planning to sell its devices through both online and offline channels in India. The company might start selling smartphones at its exclusive laptop selling stores.
