Noida: In a significant boost to India’s Make in India initiative, Optiemus Infracom Limited, a leading electronics manufacturer, inaugurated the country’s first manufacturing plant for tempered glass made with Engineered by Corning technology in Noida, Uttar Pradesh.
The technology has been developed by Corning Incorporated, a global leader in materials science.
The facility was inaugurated by Ashwini Vaishnaw, Union Minister for Electronics & IT, I&B, and Railways. The launch marks a key milestone in India’s electronics manufacturing journey, as the country strengthens its position as the world’s second-largest mobile manufacturing nation.
Advanced Manufacturing Capabilities
With an initial investment of Rs 70 crore, Phase 1 of the facility will have an installed capacity of 25 million units per annum and will generate over 600 direct jobs. The facility is equipped with comprehensive end-to-end manufacturing capabilities, including scribing, shaping, chamfering, polishing, dual-stage rinsing, chemical tempering, coating, printing, and lamination. Each stage will follow stringent quality checks, ensuring world-class tempered glass is produced in India for the first time.
Optiemus plans to scale up production significantly in Phase 2, with an additional investment of Rs 800 crore. The capacity will be expanded to 200 million units annually to serve both domestic and global markets. The expansion is expected to create more than 4,500 direct job opportunities.
Growing Electronics Ecosystem
Inaugurating the facility, Ashwini Vaishnaw said, “We are pleased to see the partnership between Optiemus and Corning, and the commencement of production today. The overall ecosystem for components is developing rapidly in India. Over the last 11 years, electronics manufacturing has grown sixfold, and today it is around Rs 11.5 lakh crore industry, with exports of around Rs 3.5 lakh crore; an impressive achievement and a testament to the Prime Minister’s vision. Step by step, we plan to manufacture every component used in mobile devices right here in India in the near future. We also encourage research and development to take place in India and are working toward becoming a global player. Just as the tempered glass manufacturing plant has begun operations today, we will soon see ‘made in India’ chips as well. The electronics manufacturing industry is shaping up well and currently generates approximately 25 lakh jobs.”
Industry Perspective
The domestic market for tempered glass is estimated at more than 500 million pieces with a retail value of about Rs 20,000 crore, while the global market stands at over USD 60 billion.
Ashok Kumar Gupta, Chairman, Optiemus Infracom Limited, said, “This is a landmark moment for the Indian electronics manufacturing industry and the Make in India vision. Despite being one of the world’s largest mobile phone markets, India has relied on imports for tempered glass. With this initiative, we are looking at building global-scale capabilities to support the Indian and international markets with the best quality products. Our aspiration is that every Indian mobile phone user must use a Make in India tempered glass with BIS certification and fog marking to protect their screen.”
Echoing this, Pankaj Mahindroo, Chairman of the India Cellular & Electronics Association (ICEA), added, “This product segment has a very high labour-intensive manufacturing process and presents a tremendous opportunity for India – not just to meet its own high domestic demand, but also to become a leading exporter. By promoting high-quality manufacturing, we see immense potential to support MSMEs, generate large-scale employment, and contribute significantly to India’s export footprint – making India a global centre for electronics accessories manufacturing.”
The facility represents a significant step in reducing India’s dependence on imports for critical mobile components while creating jobs and supporting the growth of a robust electronics ecosystem.
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