Corning, which is the official glass supplier of iPhone maker Apple, is all set to open a gorilla glass manufacturing facility in India’s Tamil Nadu. The setting up of the new plant will cost as much as ₹1000 crore, reported The Economic Times.
The new Corning facility in Tamil Nadu will be set up at Pillaipakkam, near Sriperumbudur, on a 25-acre plot. The facility’s premises will be expanded if there is a need, and will employ around 300 people, the report added.
Corning, an American gorilla glass maker, is making its investment in Tamil Nadu as the southern state is emerging as a tech and industrial hub for many big brands.
The company’s entry in India brings another important Apple vendor to the country. With the manufacturing of iPhone parts and Apple electronic components in India, there could potentially be a drop in the prices of the smartphone in the near future.
Earlier this year, Corning had plans to set up its new Indian factory in Telangana, but decided to go with Tamil Nadu instead due to the close proximity with other Apple vendors, as well as the boom in the electronic sector in the state.
TN industries minister TRB Rajaa told ET, “While I choose not to delve into the specifics of potential investment commitments which may be under consideration, I can affirm that Tamil Nadu is diligently crafting an outstanding electronics ecosystem of international standards.”
Corning’s entry in India to boost electronics sector
Union minister Ashwini Vaishnaw had announced the entry of American glass giant Corning in India in October, saying that the initial manufacturing capacity of the company will remain 30 million pieces, set to grow gradually.
Earlier, Apple vendors had to temporarily stop production in Chennai as well as other nearby cities due to the weather disruptions caused by Cyclone Michaung, causing a significant backlog in the production of Indian-made iPhone parts.
Corning’s partnership with Apple began in 2007, when the smartphone maker wanted to venture into more technologically advances mobile phones. Corning’s entry in India is set to boost the Make in India supply chain, raising the production rate of mobile phones made in the country.