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Alphabet’s Google is in talks with suppliers to assemble its Pixel phones in India. Google seemed to have taken a page out of Apple’s playbook, which also shifted away a portion of iPhone production out of China in recent years.
The recent development of Google initiating talks with domestic suppliers comes after a meeting between Indian Minister for Information Technology, Ashwini Vaishnaw, and Google CEO Sundar Pichai last month. The two reportedly discussed India’s manufacturing drive, talking about the chance of producing Google devices in India to improve the company’s manufacturing presence in the country.
Google is in early preliminary discussions with Lava International Ltd., Dixon Technologies India Ltd., and Bharat FIH (Foxconn Technology Group’s Indian unit), according to a report from Bloomberg, which cites unnamed sources.
The companies being considered as partners have received financial incentives under the government’s production-linked scheme, which has helped increase manufacturing in India, luring foreign manufacturers to set up production facilities in the country.
While India has been a significant market for its services, it has been on the sideline when it comes to hardware, as affordable Chinese players have been dominant in the country.
Google did launch its first Pixel in India. However, in the following years, it started to feel the heat from the Chinese manufacturers, bringing only the affordable Pixel ‘a series models to the country. It was only last year when the company brought its Pixel 7 series to India after a gap of four years.
The Pixel phones have been on a little higher side of the price spectrum, even the Pixel ‘a series, and the move to shift production to India could be seen as a strategy to cut down some costs, which could, in turn, help the company sell more Pixels in India.
According to sources, Ana Corrales, the operating chief of Google’s consumer hardware division, and Maggie Wei, a senior director of global sustaining product operations, were among the key executives who recently visited India for partnership talks.
Google manufactured about 9 million units of Pixel phones last year based out of facilities in China and Vietnam, as per Counterpoint Research. If the discussion goes through, a considerable portion of the production could be moved to India.
Not just phones but Google also plans to manufacture other hardware products in India, if the plan succeeds. However, the discussion is still in the very early stages, and there is a possibility that the company may choose not to proceed with this plan.
The recent development of Google initiating talks with domestic suppliers comes after a meeting between Indian Minister for Information Technology, Ashwini Vaishnaw, and Google CEO Sundar Pichai last month. The two reportedly discussed India’s manufacturing drive, talking about the chance of producing Google devices in India to improve the company’s manufacturing presence in the country.
Google is in early preliminary discussions with Lava International Ltd., Dixon Technologies India Ltd., and Bharat FIH (Foxconn Technology Group’s Indian unit), according to a report from Bloomberg, which cites unnamed sources.
The companies being considered as partners have received financial incentives under the government’s production-linked scheme, which has helped increase manufacturing in India, luring foreign manufacturers to set up production facilities in the country.
While India has been a significant market for its services, it has been on the sideline when it comes to hardware, as affordable Chinese players have been dominant in the country.
Google did launch its first Pixel in India. However, in the following years, it started to feel the heat from the Chinese manufacturers, bringing only the affordable Pixel ‘a series models to the country. It was only last year when the company brought its Pixel 7 series to India after a gap of four years.
The Pixel phones have been on a little higher side of the price spectrum, even the Pixel ‘a series, and the move to shift production to India could be seen as a strategy to cut down some costs, which could, in turn, help the company sell more Pixels in India.
According to sources, Ana Corrales, the operating chief of Google’s consumer hardware division, and Maggie Wei, a senior director of global sustaining product operations, were among the key executives who recently visited India for partnership talks.
Google manufactured about 9 million units of Pixel phones last year based out of facilities in China and Vietnam, as per Counterpoint Research. If the discussion goes through, a considerable portion of the production could be moved to India.
Not just phones but Google also plans to manufacture other hardware products in India, if the plan succeeds. However, the discussion is still in the very early stages, and there is a possibility that the company may choose not to proceed with this plan.
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