Xiaomi starts manufacturing smartphone motherboard locally
Highlights
- Xiaomi begins electronics motherboards making locally
- With it, Redmi 10C is Xiaomi's 1st smartphone available now
- Xiaomi's Gazipur plant can produce 6,000 motherboards daily
- The initiative to bring another $5m investment, create 100 jobs
Chinese consumer electronics and smartphone-maker Xiaomi has begun manufacturing printed circuit board assembly, which is known as mobile phone motherboards, locally in Bangladesh as part of its commitment to the "Smart Bangladesh" initiative.
The company, in partnership with local electronics-maker DBG Technology BD Ltd, has established a surface mount technology plant in Gazipur with state-of-the-art technology and machinery, with a capacity to produce 6,000 motherboards per day, said officials.
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This is expected to add 10% value to Xiaomi smartphones manufactured locally, according to Ziauddin Chowhury, country manager of Xiaomi Bangladesh.
He said, "The Redmi 10C is the first smartphone available in the market with locally produced motherboards."
Xiaomi started its local smartphone journey in October 2021 after setting up an assembly plant in Gazipur. In the first and second of 2022, the mobile brand captured the top spot in Bangladesh's smartphone market with a 28.8% share, reports Counterpoint's Market Monitor Service.
About 95% of the demand for Xiaomi smartphones in the country is met by the local factory as all the entry and mid-range phones like Redmi 10A, Redmi 10C, and Redmi Note 11 are being produced locally.
The company has so far invested around $15 million in the Gazipur plant – generating 600 jobs mostly for Bangladeshis.
Ziauddin Chowhury said the latest motherboard-making initiative involved a 100% foreign direct investment. They are going to invest more which will create another 100 jobs.
Xiaomi's local collaborator DBG Technology is also a global electronics manufacturer with operations in China, Vietnam and India.
