The Make in India initiative has pushed the tech giants to undertake the manufacturing of their devices. In the latest update, it is now reported that Amazon will also be making devices in India for the first time, joining a flock of technology companies setting up manufacturing operations.
Amazon will start making the devices via a subsidiary of its manufacturing partner Foxconn Technology Group. According to sources, the production will start later this year in its facilities outside Chennai.
“The device manufacturing program will be able to produce hundreds of thousands of Fire TV Stick devices every year, catering to the demands of customers in India. Amazon will continuously evaluate the scaling capacity to additional marketplaces.”
It’s not just Amazon, but also other giants such as Apple Inc. and Samsung Electronics Co. will be making devices like phones and tablets in the South Asian nation. Amazon’s India chief Amit Agarwal briefed the country’s minister for electronics and information technology, Ravi Shankar Prasad, on the details of the company’s manufacturing plans and its commitment to the government’s Make in India push.
Jeff Bezos earlier pledged to build one of his biggest e-commerce operations in India. But the company’s venture is not an easy one. It is currently locked in a legal battle over Mumbai-based Future Group’s assets to billionaire Mukesh Ambani’s Reliance Industries Ltd.
Amazon had earlier pledged an investment of $1 billion to digitize 10 million small and medium businesses, help Indian companies export $10 billion of goods, and promise to create an additional 1 million jobs by 2025.
If the company successfully expands into the country, then it will become Asia’s biggest e-commerce company.
