Xiaomi Remi 2 Prime #Made In India

Xiaomi has launched the all-new Redmi 2 Prime in India at Rs 6,999. Apart from the usual superior specs at affordable price, what sets the device apart is it adheres to PM Modi’s ‘Make in India’ initiative. Yesterday Hugo Barra had tweeted about the big leap clearly hinting at the Make in India announcement at Vizag in the pipeline.

The event took place in Visakhapatnam and the device was announced in the presence of CM Nara Chandrababu Naidu and Amitabh Kant, Secretary, Department of Industrial Policy and Promotion (DIPP).

Shri Nara Chandrababu Naidu said, “We have great faith in young leaders and young companies like Xiaomi. These new generation companies and entrepreneurs will be key to the success of Andhra Pradesh and India. We are happy to partner with Xiaomi as they set up their first manufacturing unit in India, as part of the Make in India program.

We believe this partnership will provide new opportunities to youth of the state and develop an electronics manufacturing ecosystem of global standards in Andhra Pradesh. We welcome Xiaomi to Sunrise Andhra Pradesh and India.”

Xiaomi has partnered with Foxconn to manufacture smartphones in India. The factory is based in Sri City, Andhra Pradesh and the choice of location is strategic as Andhra Pradesh is known to have highly skilled technical manpower, an enterprising population and a dynamic emerging leadership – a combination of factors that make the state appealing to high-growth technological companies such as Xiaomi.

Hugo Barra, Vice President, Xiaomi Global said, “After taking into consideration several factors, manufacturing in Andhra Pradesh was an obvious choice for us. This has been possible due to the support of Chief Minister Shri Nara Chandrababu Naidu and his forward thinking policies, as well as Mr. Ashok K Kantha, the Ambassador of India to China, who played a key role in helping us to forge links with Andhra Pradesh.”

The assembly line also marks the return for Foxconn, officially known as Hon Hai Precision Industry Co, to the Indian market. The world’s largest contract electronics manufacturer was forced to shut up shop in Asia’s third-largest economy last year after client Nokia stopping making phones at that plant.

Last year in November, Xiaomi India head, Manu Jain had told Firstpost, “We had plans to begin manufacturing in India even before we did the whole cost effective analysis. And, if we have to stay close to Indian audiences and build India specific products, then we probably do it here. It was more from the perspective of building products for India rather other benefits.”

The company entered India mid of last year and has managed to woo audiences with its nifty products and unique flash sales. Starting as Flipkart exclsuive, the company now sells devices online via other partners and also its own Mi stores, and also offline. In April this year, Xiaomi roped in Amazon and Snapdeal as its online partners and extended sales through its own website as well. It has teamed up with Redington to expand pan-India presence recently.

Xiaomi expects 20-30 percent of its sales to come from brick-and-mortar stores in the next few years as the Chinese handset maker strengthens its offline presence in India.

The first Mi phone to be manufactured in India, the Redmi 2 Prime, is an enhanced variant of Redmi 2 with 2GB RAM and 16GB onboard storage. Other specs include Qualcomm Snapdragon 410 64-bit processor, 4G Dual SIM support, and 4.7-inch HD display.

Foxconn has already started producing Redmi 2 Prime at their Sri City factory, and 100% of the Redmi 2 Prime units sold in India are made in India.

Manu Jain, Head of India Operations, Xiaomi, said, “We started looking at options for local manufacturing as soon as Xiaomi entered India in July last year. Being a key driver of ‘Make in India’, DIPP Secretary Mr. Amitabh Kant has been a strong supporter of Xiaomi right from the start, and has played an important role in turning our local manufacturing plans into reality. Local manufacturing shows Xiaomi’s commitment to being in India for the long haul, and we are also able to contribute to generating more jobs in India. We are truly excited to be playing a role in enhancing the quality of life of the people of India.”