Videocon group would start manufacturing mobile handsets at its Salt Lake facility near the metropolis in a few months, the company said.
Presently, the company manufactures these handsets at its Aurangabad facility under both Videocon and Sansui brands with a production capacity of 3 million units.
Videocon would source components from Chinese vendors and then assemble them, ‘‘Videocon Industries director Anirudh Dhoot’’ said.
The designs of the phones would be made in Shanghai and Shenzhen in China. Dhoot said it would start a third design center at Gurgaon.
“We have decided to start manufacturing of Videocon brand mobile handsets at our existing Salt Lake factory. Full production will start just before the Durga Puja festival” Mr. Dhoot added.
The approximate investment at the Salt Lake facility would be Rs. 50 crores and it will create 500 jobs.
Dhoot said that he met the West Bengal Finance Minister Amit Mitra this morning, and he assured of all help from the state government.
“I have also spoken to Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee over the phone, and she asked us to make Kolkata the manufacturing hub of Videocon handsets,” he told reporters.
With a negligible market share, Dhoot said that it would build up volumes first. “We will then go for the market share game,” he said.
