Latest news with #Zetwerk
Time of India
13-07-2025
- Business
- Time of India
Our homegrown talent to power electronics leap
Recent reports of foreign engineers being withdrawn from India's electronics supply chain have triggered concern. But let's not confuse the symptom with the real issue. The question isn't who's entering or exiting — it's whether India's domestic talent pool is strong enough to power the country's electronics manufacturing ambitions. I've had the privilege of building India's electronics story from the ground up with some like-minded people — starting with Nokia, where we brought in over 33 global suppliers, and now at Zetwerk. But my roots go deeper — I'm a fifth-generation Chennaiite, with my family in Madras since the 1880s. I've seen the evolution of Indian industry firsthand, and one thing is clear: we have the people. But we must skill and scale them differently. The electronics industry needs more than engineers. It needs system thinkers who understand both individual processes and how they fit together. Let me illustrate this. At our factory launch in Tamil Nadu, IT Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw visited and struck up a conversation with a young associate on the line — they were soon chatting fluently in Odia. This wasn't a photo-op. It was a reflection of our mobile, multilingual, and motivated workforce. India is a full-spectrum employee base. From Bihar to Odisha to Rajasthan, young workers are showing up across factories — ready to learn. You Can Also Check: Chennai AQI | Weather in Chennai | Bank Holidays in Chennai | Public Holidays in Chennai But we need to scale talent in critical roles for electronics and mobile phone assembly. We need: SMT (Surface Mount Technology) line operators Cleanroom and ESD-safe assembly technicians Test engineers trained for 5G systems Automation specialists and robotic cell programmers Equipment and tooling maintenance experts Program managers and supply chain professionals who can manage material dynamics and just-in-time inventory For instance, while India has strong support for standard machines, special purpose machines (SPMs) — often used for advanced testing or calibration — require targeted training and vendor support. In 2005, while at Nokia, I called a meeting with electrical equipment vendors and asked a simple question: "Where is your support team going to be based?" If the answer was "outside India," they were out. Then I asked, "Where will your L2 spare parts — the more expensive, non-consumable ones — be supplied from?" With help from companies like NMTronics, we built that local capability. That's the model we need to replicate today. At Nokia, we sent our test engineers to Korea for three weeks, where they were trained — and even hosted by a friend who cooked them vegetarian meals. The point is: if the machine is Japanese, we send engineers to Japan. If it's Chinese, we arrange short-term stints with a clear process. But building strong local bench strength is essential. We saw this in action during the transition from 4G to 5G phones amid the Covid-19 pandemic. Test systems were made by the team in India and validated remotely — and our Indian team managed it successfully. We don't need long-term dependency on training from abroad. If temporary support is needed, fine. But let's ensure knowledge transfer is built in. We already have successful precedents. Nokia localized 35% of phone components in India — long before PLI. Today, with better policy support, we can go further. Here's how: Electronics-specific skilling academies with curricula co-created by industry Certification programs benchmarked to global standards, much like how India's software boom standardized Java and Python Twinning programs with Taiwan, Japan, Korea — sending engineers for hands-on training National registry of certified electronics technicians and process engineers Incentives for in-house training academies run by OEMs and ODMs We now need scale. We must build not just shop-floor readiness, but capability to design the next generation of factories and machines. India's past success in software was built on a foundation of policy, people, and purpose. We now need a similar Y2K moment — for electronics hardware. Supply chains are going "blended" — with components made in one country, modules in another, and assembly elsewhere. India can play across all three — but only if we equip our workforce. The author is president (electronics), Zetwerk
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Business Standard
06-07-2025
- Business
- Business Standard
Zetwerk rides China+1 wave, eyes 80% revenue from global companies
Startup plans IPO in 12-18 months as global order book swells Surajeet Das Gupta New Delhi Listen to This Article The ₹14,000 crore business-to-business custom manufacturing startup Zetwerk has successfully leveraged the China+1 opportunity — with as much as 60 per cent of its revenues coming from global multinational corporations (MNCs) that have shifted part of their China capacity to India. They expect that share to go up to 80 per cent in the next three years. The Bengaluru-based company estimates that around 5 per cent of the global capacity from China has shifted to India in the last three years. Speaking to Business Standard, Amit Acharya, co-founder and chief executive officer, says: 'When we started out six years ago,
Economic Times
02-07-2025
- Automotive
- Economic Times
Govt eyes August-September start to electronic parts PLI approvals
The government is expected to hand out the first set of approvals under the Rs 22,919-crore production-linked incentive (PLI) scheme for electronic components manufacturing 'in the next two-three months,' by August-September, a senior official told ET. ADVERTISEMENT The scheme has received an overwhelming response, attracting nearly 100 applications for manufacturing various components, from display modules to camera units to battery packs, from both established players and new entrants. A project management agency is likely to be appointed within a month to screen the applications, the official said, adding that approvals will follow soon after. The government is working on a fast-track mode to get the approvals rolling, the person said. The Union cabinet had on March 28 approved the PLI scheme targeted on passive or non-semiconductor electronics components. ADVERTISEMENT 'The response from industry has been good and very buoyant… I can see that many players would be keen to participate in this scheme which will be crucial to build the larger ecosystem,' said Atul Lall, managing director of electronics manufacturing service company Dixon Technologies.'For Dixon, it is a strategic foray and we will be applying. The timeline for applying is the end of July so the project reports and documentation is under preparation,' he told ET. ADVERTISEMENT ET had reported on April 29 that several companies including Dixon, Tata Electronics, Zetwerk and Foxconn are planning to invest through this PLI scheme. 'As India looks to increase the domestic value addition, the component PLI is important,' Josh Foulger, president of Zetwerk Electronics, told ET. 'All the non-semiconductor items which are being considered are essential in the electronics system design and manufacturing (ESDM) space.' ADVERTISEMENT He said the component ecosystem takes time to come into fruition as it involves several aspects like raw materials, specialised processes, of which have to come into play in a streamlined manner. The qualifications of the customers, too, is a long process.'The tenure of all this coming into fruition will be 18-24 months, but it (the scheme) is on the right track and we see a lot of capable people applying, including us, and, more importantly, ecosystem partners coming here to develop the ecosystem and technology,' Foulger through its subsidiary Yuzhan Technology, is also looking to apply under the smartphone display module category, sources had said at the time. ADVERTISEMENT On June 23, Bengaluru-based unicorn Zetwerk told ET it plans to pump in Rs 500-800 crore on manufacturing printed circuit boards (PCBs), enclosures and electromechanical components such as heatsink and the application for the PLI scheme is being prepared, Zetwerk is in talks with companies in Taiwan, South Korea and China for technology partnerships and is eyeing setting up manufacturing plants over the next one Shah, vice-president of research at Counterpoint Research, said the PLI is going to have maximum impact on components which can be assembled or manufactured in India like batteries, camera modules, display modules and others which contribute to a considerable amount of the cost of the devices.'Display and camera module assembly are the low hanging opportunities for India which could see the most traction,' he said. 'Having capabilities in building a manufacturing ecosystem for camera, display, battery, passive components such as resistors, capacitors, inductors would be a good first step alongside matured nodes semiconductor fabs for wafer as well as packaging.'This is the first such scheme to focus on promoting the manufacturing of passive electronic components and would help deepen value addition happening in the country. It is also meant to complement the existing PLI on mobile manufacturing and the India Semiconductor Mission under which six large players including the Tata Group are setting up chip assembly and chip fabrication scheme envisages to attract investment of Rs 59,350 crore, result in production of Rs 4.56 lakh crore, and generate additional direct employment for 91,600 persons besides many indirect electronics and IT minister Ashwini Vaishnaw had said the segment will serve the requirements of several sectors, including telecom, consumer electronics, automobile, medical devices, power sector, etc. 'India has started developing capital goods, machine goods used to make electronic products. Major centres have come up in Pune, Coimbatore, Rajkot, Bangalore. Apple today has 64 suppliers in India,' he had said while announcing the scheme earlier this year.
Time of India
02-07-2025
- Business
- Time of India
Govt eyes August-September start to electronic parts PLI approvals
ETtech The government is expected to hand out the first set of approvals under the Rs 22,919-crore production-linked incentive (PLI) scheme for electronic components manufacturing 'in the next two-three months,' by August-September, a senior official told scheme has received an overwhelming response, attracting nearly 100 applications for manufacturing various components, from display modules to camera units to battery packs, from both established players and new entrants.A project management agency is likely to be appointed within a month to screen the applications, the official said, adding that approvals will follow soon government is working on a fast-track mode to get the approvals rolling, the person Union cabinet had on March 28 approved the PLI scheme targeted on passive or non-semiconductor electronics components.'The response from industry has been good and very buoyant… I can see that many players would be keen to participate in this scheme which will be crucial to build the larger ecosystem,' said Atul Lall, managing director of electronics manufacturing service company Dixon Technologies 'For Dixon, it is a strategic foray and we will be applying. The timeline for applying is the end of July so the project reports and documentation is under preparation,' he told had reported on April 29 that several companies including Dixon, Tata Electronics , Zetwerk and Foxconn are planning to invest through this PLI scheme 'As India looks to increase the domestic value addition, the component PLI is important,' Josh Foulger, president of Zetwerk Electronics , told ET. 'All the non-semiconductor items which are being considered are essential in the electronics system design and manufacturing (ESDM) space.'He said the component ecosystem takes time to come into fruition as it involves several aspects like raw materials, specialised processes, of which have to come into play in a streamlined manner. The qualifications of the customers, too, is a long process.'The tenure of all this coming into fruition will be 18-24 months, but it (the scheme) is on the right track and we see a lot of capable people applying, including us, and, more importantly, ecosystem partners coming here to develop the ecosystem and technology,' Foulger through its subsidiary Yuzhan Technology, is also looking to apply under the smartphone display module category, sources had said at the June 23, Bengaluru-based unicorn Zetwerk told ET it plans to pump in Rs 500-800 crore on manufacturing printed circuit boards (PCBs), enclosures and electromechanical components such as heatsink and the application for the PLI scheme is being prepared, Zetwerk is in talks with companies in Taiwan, South Korea and China for technology partnerships and is eyeing setting up manufacturing plants over the next one Shah, vice-president of research at Counterpoint Research, said the PLI is going to have maximum impact on components which can be assembled or manufactured in India like batteries, camera modules, display modules and others which contribute to a considerable amount of the cost of the devices.'Display and camera module assembly are the low hanging opportunities for India which could see the most traction,' he said. 'Having capabilities in building a manufacturing ecosystem for camera, display, battery, passive components such as resistors, capacitors, inductors would be a good first step alongside matured nodes semiconductor fabs for wafer as well as packaging.'This is the first such scheme to focus on promoting the manufacturing of passive electronic components and would help deepen value addition happening in the country. It is also meant to complement the existing PLI on mobile manufacturing and the India Semiconductor Mission under which six large players including the Tata Group are setting up chip assembly and chip fabrication scheme envisages to attract investment of Rs 59,350 crore, result in production of Rs 4.56 lakh crore, and generate additional direct employment for 91,600 persons besides many indirect electronics and IT minister Ashwini Vaishnaw had said the segment will serve the requirements of several sectors, including telecom, consumer electronics, automobile, medical devices, power sector, etc.'India has started developing capital goods, machine goods used to make electronic products. Major centres have come up in Pune, Coimbatore, Rajkot, Bangalore. Apple today has 64 suppliers in India,' he had said while announcing the scheme earlier this year.
Time of India
23-06-2025
- Business
- Time of India
Contract maker Zetwerk set to pump Rs 500–800 crore for component making
Zetwerk is looking to pump in Rs 500–800 crore as the Bengaluru-based unicorn embarks on manufacturing printed circuit boards (PCBs), enclosures and electromechanical components such as heat sinks and sensors, said its co-founder Rahul Sharma 'We are very excited about the component PLI (production-linked incentive) and have seen a lot of traction,' he told ET. While the application for the government's PLI scheme is being prepared, Zetwerk has forged technology tie-ups with companies in Taiwan and is eyeing setting up manufacturing plants over the next one year. 'We are in talks with a Taiwanese company for PCBs and have gotten into a definitive agreement with them," Sharma said. "We are also speaking to a South Korean company. And for products like enclosures, we are partnering with an Indian company since that capability already exists here. Within enclosures, we are looking at enclosures for laptops and non-Apple mobile brands and products." ETtech Live Events Zetwerk is also evaluating potential collaborations with Chinese companies, particularly in specialised areas like PCBs, he said. Discover the stories of your interest Blockchain 5 Stories Cyber-safety 7 Stories Fintech 9 Stories E-comm 9 Stories ML 8 Stories Edtech 6 Stories 'Recent policy developments have signalled a pragmatic approach toward allowing minority partnerships with Chinese firms, recognising the value they can bring in bridging critical technology gaps and supporting India's self-reliance goals. Once we receive the necessary government approvals, we will move forward with these partnerships,' he said. Once the necessary approvals are obtained, Zetwerk would set up the manufacturing units, Sharma said. 'We are already present in Uttar Pradesh, Haryana, Tamil Nadu and Karnataka with plants in the electronics sector. Now, with the component PLI, we would be setting up new plants and are in close talks with a few of the state governments,' he said. While Sharma did not name the states that Zetwerk was engaging with, he said none of them had reached a definitive agreement yet. He also said that segments like electromechanical components, unlike PCBs, can be housed within the existing units. 'PCBs cannot be stationed at the same place where our existing EMS (electronic manufacturing services) factories are stationed,' he said. 'It will definitely be in a different place because it has different requirements for polishing control, power and other factors. Same goes for enclosures where we don't have to have these facilities situated in our existing clusters." Sharma further said, 'We have also hired one of the big four firms to help us prepare an application which is suitable for the government to evaluate.'
