Xiaomi plans to ramp up production at Chennai plant

The Dollar Business Bureau

Having received an encouraging response for its phones, Chinese smartphone manufacturer Xiaomi said on Tuesday that it is planning to ramp up its production and to add extra assembly lines in its facility. 

Presently, Xiaomi India has a contract manufacturing unit with Foxconn, situated near Chennai at Sri City SEZ (Special Economic Zone), Tada and sells several models made at this manufacturing facility. 

"The plan is to increase number of (assembly) lines in our existing facility in Sri City (SEZ). We will be ramping up production," Manu Jain, India Head of Xiaomi told the journalists. 

In addition to ramping up the production, Xiaomi along with Taiwan-based Foxconn is having discussions with several state governments to establish two additional manufacturing units in the country, Jain said.

He declined to disclose any numbers on the capacity at Chennai plant but said that the company had sold over 90,000 units of its smartphone Redmi 3S Prime within 8 minutes, when it’s launched last week. 

Xiaomi India sells Redmi 2, Redmi Note 3, Redmi 3S Prime, Redmi 3S, Mi 5, Mi Max, in Indian market. “About 75 percent of Xiaomi products sold in the country are locally manufactured whereas the company fully imports Mi5 from China,” Jain said. 

On the question whether Xiaomi would export products manufactured at its facility, he said that the products made in India would cater to domestic demand. 

On product launches in future, Jain said Xiaomi was looking to launch ‘smart air purifier’, which is presently sold in China, in the Indian market later this year but prior to the winter season. 

Currently, Xiaomi India has around 100 service centres all over India that include 70 exclusive retail outlets, he added.