Indian handset makers, who are facing stiff competition from the Chinese handset vendors, seem to be shifting towards the television segment. Micromax has already entered the TV segment with a range of LED TVs. Now The Mobile Indian has learnt that Karbonn is all set to announce its foray into the TV segment and will launch the first product in next three months.
While talking to The Mobile Indian, Pradeep Jain, Managing Director, Karbonn Mobiles said, “We are getting ready to lunch televisions in India and they will be made in India at our Noida factory.”
In this quarter, Karbonn is planning to launch three TVs that include a 32 inch, a 40 inch and a 52 inch model. In the next two quarters, the company is planning to launch 8-10 TVs. Karbonn, which has marked Micromax and Videocon as its chief competitors in the TV space, is planning to offer 200 movies to its TV users for free which they can watch through a special App on Karbonn’s Smart TV itself.
In October 2012, Micromax entered the TV segment with a range of devices priced between Rs 15,990 and Rs. 1,29,990. Micromax is even eyeing other consumer durables and is set to launch its air conditioners as well. Also, some time back we had reported LeEco is gearing up to launch a couple of TV next month.
Meanwhile, Karbonn has setup a state of the art mobile manufacturing plant in Bawal. The plant, which was set up within a short span of six months, has 22 assembly lines and is expected to manufacture 30 million mobile units per year. The ISO 9001 and 14001 certified facility is currently manufacturing 1.5 million units in a month slated to increase to 2.5 million by end of 2016. As per Karbonn, the factory would employ about 4000 persons.
In addition, Karbonn is also setting up a new facility in Tirupati, which will have surface-mount technology (SMT) production and assembly lines, along with charger and battery units for the supplies. Along with mobile handsets, Karbonn will be venturing in accessories and battery manufacturing in September, 2016.