Wistron, the Taiwanese contract manufacturer that sold its iPhone assembly plant in Karnataka's Kolar to Tata Electronics in 2023, is firming up plans for an electronics production facility in Telangana with an investment of around Rs 1,000 crore, people aware of the matter said.
It is scouting for land in Hyderabad to build the facility that will manufacture servers, routers and switches, these people said on the condition of anonymity.
After exiting the Kolar plant, where it had faced worker unrest in 2020, Wistron is again expanding its operations in India. The plans also include setting up a Rs 1,450 crore plant in Bengaluru to manufacture laptops. This facility is scheduled to start production by January 2026, Karnataka industries minister MB Patil said last year.
"They (Wistron) have decided to come to Telangana with a different product line. They are investing almost Rs 1,000 crore. Now they are finalising the location,” said one of the people. “It could be in the same area where Hyderabad's electronics manufacturing is concentrated, in one of the electronics parks on the outskirts of the city. It has not frozen the location yet. They have seen a few locations," this person said.
"Wistron is into manufacturing servers, routers and switches. Manufacturing of those may go to Telangana. But it will be the non-iPhone making that will go to the state; iPhone assembly is ruled out," another person said.
Wistron did not comment on the Telangana plan. In a statement to ET, the company repeated the announcement in 2024 when it said a wholly owned subsidiary, ICT Service Management Solutions (India), intended to secure a land use right from the Karnataka Industrial Area Development Board for up to Rs 140 crore. That land is near the international airport in Bangalore, it said in the latest statement.
The Karnataka State High Level Clearance Committee had in March last year approved ICT Service Management’s Rs 1,450 crore investment proposal with a potential to create 2,500 jobs. In January last year, when the company and the state government signed a memorandum of understanding, minister Patil said that ICT Service Management had sought 32 acres for the proposed project.
The proposed unit with a fully automated facility would make laptops for all brands and over 50% of laptops made here would be exported, Patil had said. The plant would also produce IoT components and EV-related parts.
Wistron currently operates in India through three subsidiaries: ICT Service Management, Smartiply India and Wistron Automotive Electronics (India). While ICT Service Management focuses on import-export services and maintenance operations, Smartiply India develops internet platforms and IoT-related products. Wistron Automotive Electronics specialises in manufacturing, R&D and design of automotive electronics and related products.
It is scouting for land in Hyderabad to build the facility that will manufacture servers, routers and switches, these people said on the condition of anonymity.
After exiting the Kolar plant, where it had faced worker unrest in 2020, Wistron is again expanding its operations in India. The plans also include setting up a Rs 1,450 crore plant in Bengaluru to manufacture laptops. This facility is scheduled to start production by January 2026, Karnataka industries minister MB Patil said last year.
"They (Wistron) have decided to come to Telangana with a different product line. They are investing almost Rs 1,000 crore. Now they are finalising the location,” said one of the people. “It could be in the same area where Hyderabad's electronics manufacturing is concentrated, in one of the electronics parks on the outskirts of the city. It has not frozen the location yet. They have seen a few locations," this person said.
"Wistron is into manufacturing servers, routers and switches. Manufacturing of those may go to Telangana. But it will be the non-iPhone making that will go to the state; iPhone assembly is ruled out," another person said.
Wistron did not comment on the Telangana plan. In a statement to ET, the company repeated the announcement in 2024 when it said a wholly owned subsidiary, ICT Service Management Solutions (India), intended to secure a land use right from the Karnataka Industrial Area Development Board for up to Rs 140 crore. That land is near the international airport in Bangalore, it said in the latest statement.
The Karnataka State High Level Clearance Committee had in March last year approved ICT Service Management’s Rs 1,450 crore investment proposal with a potential to create 2,500 jobs. In January last year, when the company and the state government signed a memorandum of understanding, minister Patil said that ICT Service Management had sought 32 acres for the proposed project.
The proposed unit with a fully automated facility would make laptops for all brands and over 50% of laptops made here would be exported, Patil had said. The plant would also produce IoT components and EV-related parts.
Wistron currently operates in India through three subsidiaries: ICT Service Management, Smartiply India and Wistron Automotive Electronics (India). While ICT Service Management focuses on import-export services and maintenance operations, Smartiply India develops internet platforms and IoT-related products. Wistron Automotive Electronics specialises in manufacturing, R&D and design of automotive electronics and related products.
