New Delhi: It hence came as a surprise, a proud moment for the country, when India finally overtook China in smartphone exports. That’s a big deal, since China has been leading the world in electronics manufacturing for decades. Now, it’s the turn of India to rise and prove that it, too, can be a huge global factory.
This did not occur overnight. In the past few years, the Indian government had brought in a slew of production-linked incentive schemes to spur global companies into making phones in India. Big technology companies like Apple, Samsung, and Xiaomi expanded their factories, hired more workers, and increased local production.
Consequently, India has started exporting smartphones to many countries in Europe, the Middle East, and Africa. Indeed, industry data shows sharp growth in India’s smartphone exports, while those of China have slowed down due to rising labour costs and geopolitical issues.
Experts point to India’s young workforce, lower manufacturing costs, and improving infrastructure as playing a major role. It is also emerging as a trusted alternative for companies trying to reduce their dependency on China. More global brands are starting to think of shifting a bigger part of their production lines to India.
This development has boosted India’s image as a strong player in global technology. It has also created lakhs of new jobs for factory workers, engineers, logistics companies, and suppliers.
