Foxconn, Adani coming together to produce electronics in India

Taiwanese multinational electronics manufacturing company, Foxconn and Adani Group might come together to establish at least four electronics manufacturing facilities in India, sources told TOI.

Earlier this month, top executives of Foxconn have visited Karnataka, Maharashtra, Andhra Pradesh and Gujarat to survey possible sites to set up manufacturing plants.

The Taiwanese company is best known for making Apple devices.

Sources in the Karnataka government told TOI that Vincent Tong Wen-Hsin, chairman and director of investments at FIH (Foxconn International Holdings) Mobile, and Calvin Chih, CEO of the company, had discussed the matter with the government.

"It could become a $5-billion investment. They visited some other states too. We are hoping that Karnataka's talent pool and fiscal incentives would make them decide to locate a facility here," a government official, who did not want to be named, told the daily.

When contacted, Pranav Adani, director in Adani Enterprises - the flagship company of the Adani Group - and nephew of Adani Group founder Gautam Adani, told TOI he had nothing to say. The Ahmedabad-based group is a multinational conglomerate with interests in commodities, logistics, agribusiness and energy.

In May, Foxconn group chairman Terry Gou told Reuters that the group was looking to develop 10-12 facilities in India, including factories and data centres by 2020. "A lot of our customers, especially Chinese customers, need us to manufacture ... in India, to make phones, tablets, TVs, as soon as possible," Gou had said.

A Karnataka government official said: "We are talking to Foxconn almost every week to get them to Karnataka. Under our mega projects policy, we can tailor-make incentives for them."

Foxconn has already started working on a small facility in Andhra Pradesh’s Sri City that is likely to make around 10,000 phones a day, largely for Chinese brand Xiaomi.

In China, Foxconn makes phones for a number of global brands, including Apple, Motorola, Huawei, BlackBerry, and Sony. The company is keen to manufacture in India for Indian and global brands.

(Image: Reuters)