As India aspires to join the global electronics supply chain, focus on three key areas will help the country realise its objectives, pointed out Jean Francois Baril, Executive Chairman, HMD Global.
Addressing a session on ‘Strategy to create an Electronics Manufacturing Ecosystem in Tamil Nadu’ of CII Connect 2020, Baril listed out the three elements. Firstly, policy predictability is a key as the investments in this segment will be for the long haul. “Predictability will make the investors feel secure,” he said.
The second key area is to build a tripartite partnership comprising the Centre, local (state government) and the business community. “The Centre may set the direction. But the roles of State governments are very important for implementation. Also, there should be some hi-tech component leaders to support technology transfer,” he added.
The third area is the technology and associated ecosystem for resources and skillsets. He felt Tamil Nadu had good infrastructure and institutes for higher education, but there was room for improvement.
When quizzed by BusinessLine’s Editor Raghuvir Srinivasan, who moderated the session, on Tamil Nadu’s potential, Baril, who was instrumental in setting up the Nokia factory in 2006 during his tenure with the Finnish handset maker then, said Tamil Nadu’s latest electronics hardware manufacturing policy was impressive due to multiple things, including the focus on skillset training.
But he was of the view that implementation would be the key thing in making the Tamil Nadu investment story a success though the State had good infrastructure and skilled manpower.