Xiaomi starts assembling smart TVs in India
TV is the biggest category for the company after smartphones, which, too, are assembled in India
Tirupati: Smartphone maker Xiaomi of China on Thursday began locally assembling its smart TVs at a new production line in Tirupati.
The Chinese firm has partnered with Dixon Technologies to carry out operations at the production line, its eighth in the country.
Xiaomi, in partnership with Foxconn and Hipad Technologies, has six lines dedicated to smartphones and one to power banks across Sri City in Andhra Pradesh, Sriperumbudur in Tamil Nadu and Noida in Uttar Pradesh.
“Right now we are ramping up slowly but by the January-March quarter, the factory will generate capacity to assemble one lakh Mi LED TVs per month," said Manu Jain, managing director, Xiaomi India.
So far, the company had been importing these TVs but now only their components will be imported.
The kickstarting of local assembling comes just a few days after Xiaomi said it had secured the number one position in the smart TV market.
Xiaomi made its debut in the smart TV market in the first quarter of this calendar year. It tripled its shipments in the second quarter and became the leading brand in this category, according to data from International Data Corporation’s (India) Worldwide Quarterly Smart Home Device Tracker.
Xiaomi is already the number one smartphone company in India in terms of shipments for the last four quarters.
TV is the biggest category for the Chinese consumer electronics company after smartphones, which too are assembled in India.
Xiaomi had launched its first smart TV in India in February aiming to disrupt the market with the “world’s thinnest LED TV" offering.
Other top companies in this segment are Samsung, Sony and LG.
“Since its launch in February, Xiaomi has sold 5 lakh TVs in India...we would be the fastest growing TV brand in the country," Jain said.
Xiaomi sells five TV models in India in the price bracket of ₹ 13,999 to ₹ 49,999.
Two of these models are being assembled at the plant in Tirupati in Andhra Pradesh.
Overall, the Chinese company has products across 30-40 categories in its home market but has so far launched only phones, TVs, fitness devices, power banks, air purifiers, smart routers and a few audio products in India.
The writer is in Tirupati at the invitation of Xiaomi.
Unlock a world of Benefits! From insightful newsletters to real-time stock tracking, breaking news and a personalized newsfeed – it's all here, just a click away! Login Now!