In a major boost to the "Make in India" electronics push, domestic contract electronics manufacturing services (EMS) giant Amber Enterprises India has finalized an agreement with Oppo Mobiles India to manufacture smartphones for Oppo, OnePlus, and Realme.
The company aims to manufacture 8 million (80 lakh) smartphones in its first year of operations, with plans to scale production up to 15–16 million (1.5 to 1.6 crore) units in the second year.
Key Highlights of the Partnership
- Production Target: 8 million units in Year 1, ramping up to 15–16 million units in Year 2.
- Brands Covered: OnePlus, Oppo, and Realme.
- Timeline: Trial production is scheduled for Q4 FY27, followed by full-scale commercial manufacturing starting in Q1 FY28.
- Leadership Expansion: Amber has appointed a dedicated Chief Operating Officer (COO) to steer its mobile phone division.
Shift Toward an Asset-Light Model for Chinese Brands
The collaboration highlights a strategic pivot among major Chinese smartphone vendors toward an asset-light manufacturing model in India. Rather than expanding direct in-house assembly plants, brands are partnering with local EMS companies to:
- Meet Indian regulatory and supply-chain localization expectations.
- Leverage the government’s Production-Linked Incentive (PLI scheme) ecosystem.
- Enhance manufacturing agility and reduce capital expenditure.
Market Outlook and Component Localization
Together, brands associated with BBK Electronics (Oppo, OnePlus, Realme, and Vivo) hold a substantial share—over 45%—of India’s smartphone shipments.
To strengthen domestic value addition, Amber Enterprises is also expanding into upstream components, including plans to establish its own Copper-Clad Laminate (CCL) plant by 2029–30 for printed circuit boards (PCBs), mitigating global raw-material supply pressures.
