Corning, a US-based Gorilla Glass maker for smartphones and domestic telecommunications company Optiemus Infracom, on Tuesday broke ground on the Bharat Innovative Glass Technologies (BIG Tech), the country’s first cover glass manufacturing facility located in Kanchipuram near Chennai.
The facility, located at the SIPCOT Pillaipakkam industrial park in Kanchipuram district, will manufacture front-cover glasses for electronic devices like mobile phones. Corning is a key supplier to Apple and 45 other smartphone brands, including OnePlus and Samsung.
BIG Tech, a joint venture between Corning and Optiemus, in January signed a MoU with the Tamil Nadu government to set up a cover glass manufacturing facility near Chennai with an investment of Rs 1,003 crore.
The development comes at a time when the $155 billion Indian electronics market is benefitting from a global shift in supply chains away from China, coupled with the Indian government’s production-linked incentives to boost electronics manufacturing in the country. Tamil Nadu is already home to several contract manufacturers and key suppliers to Apple, including Taiwan’s Foxconn and Pegatron, Finland’s Salcomp and homegrown Tata Electronics.
“By actively supporting our customers as they advance their supply chains, we’re giving more consumers in the region an opportunity to experience the renowned durability of Gorilla Glass,” David Velasquez, vice president and general manager of Corning Gorilla Glass, said in a press statement.
The new facility will manufacture finished cover glass parts for mobile consumer electronics both for the Indian market and abroad.
“Today’s ground-breaking for BIG Tech not only marks a significant investment in our state’s industrial capabilities but also reinforces Tamil Nadu’s position as a hub for innovation and technological advancement,” Tamil Nadu chief minister M K Stalin was quoted as saying.
