Huawei says it is reaffirming its commitment to India with its decision to start manufacturing smartphones in India in collaboration with “sketch-to-scale” engineering design solutions company Flex.

Shri Ravi Shankar Prasad, India’s union minister, information and technology, law and justice, made the announcement at Huawei’s “Make in India” inauguration ceremony in the Indian capital, New Delhi.

Starting from this month, the Flex manufacturing plant in Chennai will manufacture one of the Honor smartphones models. The plant will have the capacity to make 3 million units by the end of 2017. 

In addition, Huawei will be strengthening its after-sales services in India with over 200 service centers, including more than 30 exclusive Huawei service centers in India.

Underlining its customer-centric approach, Huawei will also expand its distribution network by partnering with more than 50,000 retail outlets by the end of 2016.

This retail network will add to the existing 350+ distributors in India to create a comprehensive, nationwide distribution system.

Announcing the manufacturing facility, Prasad says: “I would like to congratulate Huawei on their commitment to pursue their Make in India vision. The Government of India is pleased to see so much enthusiasm for our Make in India initiative.

“We are working towards making India an electronics manufacturing hub. As India is set to become the second-largest smartphone market, our government would like to invite even more businesses to come and manufacture in India.

“This is an opportune time to start manufacturing in India. The smartphone landscape in India is growing every day and such initiatives by technology leaders will help accelerate the growth of local manufacturing industry in India.”

Jay Chen, CEO, Huawei India says: “We have been present in India for the last 16 years and as part of our India focus, we have been consistently expanding our footprint in the market. This year especially has been of significance in our India journey.

“We recently launched our world class GSC in Bengaluru and the start of manufacturing in India is an affirmation of our commitment to India and supports the Make in India campaign. We are convinced about the growth potential and future of India and we’ll keep looking for opportunities to increase our presence here.”

Adding further to the development, Peter Zhai, president, Huawei India Consumer Business Group, says: “We have seen significant acceptance of our smartphones in India over the last few years and have big plans for India.

“We have been evaluating a manufacturing unit for a long time and have partnered with Flex given their legacy, expertise and knowledge in providing sketch to scale solutions to leading companies globally.”

Jeff Reece, head of Flex telecom segment says: “We are thrilled to expand our global partnership with Huawei. Our alliance with Huawei in India is a testament of our commitment towards boosting local manufacturing. It also further demonstrates our commitment to bring innovative supply chain solutions, high-quality advanced manufacturing and after-market services to Huawei and ultimately the consumers.”

Reece adds: “Flex has been in India over the last 16 years and has the right building blocks to help our customers who wish to design, build, distribute and service their products both domestically and globally.”

India is a very important market for Huawei and the company has renewed its focus on India working with two brands, Huawei and Honor, to cater to the widest cross section of consumers.

Huawei has established strong consumer confidence in India by launching a series of products, for both the Huawei and Honor brands, including the launch of Huawei’s flagship P9 in India this year. Google has also collaborated with Huawei to make its premium Nexus 6P device.

Huawei’s latest manufacturing initiative is part of its commitment to the Government of India’s ‘Make in India’ vision by harnessing local talent, coupled with the infusion of hi-tech R&D expertise and knowledge into the country.

The smartphone manufacturing announcement is another milestone in Huawei’s 16-year journey in India which includes its largest overseas R&D Center and the recently inaugurated Global Service Center in Bengaluru.