Global tech heavyweight Cisco joined the ‘Make in India’ scramble, announcing that it will start manufacturing in the country, reportedly in Chennai. It was announced by Cisco global chair and CEO Chuck Robbins in the national capital on Wednesday following a meeting with PM Modi.
The computer networking products and solutions company aims to hit one billion dollars from production in the country, and is part of the strategy to diversify its global supply chain. Presently, Cisco manufactures in China, Korea, Taiwan, Malaysia and Singapore.
"Today, we are announcing strategic investments in Indian manufacturing capabilities as the next step in delivering cutting-edge technologies to our customers in India and across the globe," said Chuck Robbins, chair and CEO of Cisco. "Fuelled by a rapidly developing digital economy, India is a focal point of innovation and business for Cisco, and we remain deeply committed to our partnerships here.”
In India, the silicon valley major will build next-generation services and applications and support complex cloud computing environments. The country already has Cisco’s biggest research & development facility, second only to that in its home country US.
Cisco India head Daisy Chittilapilly said that “today's announcement marks a significant milestone to power the next phase of growth for Cisco…and help accelerate India’s transition into a leading digital economy.”
A statement issued by the company said the decision followed a series of meetings with External Affairs Minister, S. Jaishankar, IT minister of state Rajeev Chandrasekhar, NITI Aayog CEO B.V.R. Subrahmanyam and telecom secretary K. Rajaraman.