Samsung to foray into Make In India laptops in 2024

Samsung is planning to begin laptop manufacturing in India, amid laptop import curbs mulled by the government last year.

Emphasising the importance of Noida as an important production base for the Korean electronics major, Samsung Electronics President and Head of Mobile eXperience MX Business TM Roh said the company also plans to manufacture its flagship Galaxy S24 series smartphone in the facility.

''We will start manufacturing laptops this year at the Noida factory. Preparations are already underway,'' Roh said.

Samsung has received support at various levels from the state and central governments, Roh added, emphasising that the company will continue to cooperate with the government to strengthen manufacturing in India.

The company’s recent launch, Galaxy S24 series smartphone is focused on artificial intelligence as it comes with Galaxy AI, which is part of a collaboration with Google.

Speaking on the Noida facility, the official said it is the second-largest base for Samsung. 

“There may be some changes at the plant to optimise it as per the global demand, but what remains unchanged is the fact that it is an important base for us,'' Roh said.

The facility manufactures feature phones, smartphones, wearables and tablets, with laptop manufacturing being the latest addition this year.

The government in August last year imposed import restrictions on laptops, tablets, and certain types of computers with immediate effect for security reasons and the need to promote domestic manufacturing. The move was aimed at curtailing inbound shipments from countries like China and Korea. Commerce Minister Piyush Goyal had also flagged the concern during an event last year, saying even Tesla car is not allowed anywhere near where Xi Jinping (President of China) is present. 

"Because they're very conscious of the risks of security, even for a car being present in the vicinity of the premier of China. India also has to protect ourselves from countries who are antagonistic to India," Goyal said.

The Commerce Ministry said it is likely to put in place a simple import authorisation procedure and not a licensing process for inbound shipments of laptops, tablets and computers from November 1, but a final go-ahead from the Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology (MeitY) was awaited.

(With PTI inputs)