New Delhi, August 30(HS):

Union Minister of Electronics and Information Technology, Ashwini Vaishnaw, inaugurated India’s first-ever Tempered Glass Manufacturing Facility for mobile devices in Noida, established by Optiemus Electronics in collaboration with Corning Incorporated, USA. The state-of-the-art facility will produce premium quality tempered glass under the globally renowned “Engineered by Corning” brand, catering to both domestic and international markets.

Addressing the event, Vaishnaw hailed this milestone as a critical stride toward fulfilling Prime Minister Narendra Modi's Make in India vision, emphasizing that India is progressing towards manufacturing all mobile phone components indigenously—including chips, cover glasses, and laptop components. A Made-in-India chip launch is anticipated soon, further cementing India’s burgeoning electronics self-reliance.

Highlighting India’s meteoric rise in electronics manufacturing over the past decade, he noted a sixfold increase reaching ₹11.5 lakh crore in production, ₹3 lakh crore in exports, and employment generation for 2.5 million people. He underscored India’s design prowess, innovation in R&D, and examples of cutting-edge indigenous developments, such as IIT Madras’s first microcontroller and Indian Railway exports meeting global standards.

Minister Vaishnaw lauded India’s robust 7.8% GDP growth in FY25-26 Q1, inviting youth to contribute to the vision of Atmanirbhar Bharat and Viksit Bharat 2047. Industry leaders, including Optiemus Chairman Ashok Kumar Gupta and ICEA Chairman Pankaj Mahindroo, emphasized the facility’s potential to drastically reduce imports, generate vast employment opportunities, support MSMEs, and position India as a global electronics accessories manufacturing hub.

The Noida facility, started with an initial ₹70 crore investment, will produce 25 million tempered glass units annually in phase one, creating over 600 direct jobs. Phase two will expand capacity to 200 million units, attract ₹800 crore more investment, and generate 4,500 additional jobs. The manufacturing process includes advanced stages like scribing, chamfering, chemical tempering, and lamination, ensuring world-class product quality with stringent inspections.

This landmark development marks a pivotal moment for India’s electronics ecosystem, reinforcing the nation’s emergence as a global leader in high-quality mobile device components manufacturing.

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Hindusthan Samachar / Jun Sarkar