Samsung has decided to shake things up in its production game. The tech giant, known for churning out smartphones like there’s no tomorrow, is set to venture into the laptop manufacturing scene at its Noida facility later this year. This news comes straight from the horse’s mouth, with TM Roh, Samsung’s Mobile Division President, shedding light on the company’s plans.
Noida, already a bustling hub for Samsung’s smartphone production, is gearing up to become the second-largest base for the South Korean giant. Roh, at a recent media briefing, spilled the beans on Samsung’s grand scheme. “Noida is a very important production base for Samsung. It is the second largest base for Samsung. There may be some changes at the plant to optimize it as per the global demand but what remains unchanged is the fact that it is an important base for us,” he casually remarked.
Now, here’s the twist in the tale. Last September, whispers in the tech corridors hinted that Samsung was all set to roll out its laptops from the Noida facility. However, like that software update you keep postponing, plans got delayed. Fast forward to today, and Samsung is ready to let the laptop-making party begin in India.
But why the sudden shuffle in Samsung’s manufacturing deck? Well, it seems the Indian government threw a curveball in the form of laptop import restrictions in August 2023. This move was part of a master plan to boost domestic manufacturing, making Apple, HP, and Samsung hit the pause button on laptop imports. The government even teased the idea of a licensing regime, sending ripples of panic across the tech landscape.
However, just when the laptop industry thought it was going to face the licensing guillotine, the government did a u-turn faster than a GPS recalculating route. No licensing requirements, just a watchful eye on inbound laptop shipments. Talk about a rollercoaster ride for Apple, HP, and Samsung!
In the backdrop of this drama, the government introduced the PLI 2.0 scheme for IT hardware last May, throwing Rs. 17,000 crore into the mix. The scheme aimed to pump up the domestic production of computers and laptops, which, by the way, witnessed a drop in imports from a whopping $7.37 billion in 2021-22 to $5.33 billion in 2022-23. That’s a dent in the laptop import universe, right?
Now, with Samsung prepping up its laptop production game in India, it seems the tech landscape is in for some exciting twists and turns. Will Noida become the laptop-making capital of the world? Only time will tell.
