Leader in delivering Internet access to emerging markets DataWind Inc. on Friday formally inaugurated its facility at Hyderabad in the presence of KT Rama Rao, Minister of IT and Industry, Telangan aand Nadir Patel, High Commissioner of Canada.
Earlier, DataWind had signed an MoU with the Telangana government when Premier of Ontario, Kathleen Wynne visited Hyderabad to setup its second facility in India. Keeping its promise the company today launched its second State of the art manufacturing facility at GMR Complex of Rajiv Gandhi International Airport in Hyderabad.
"I congratulate Suneet Singh Tuli for setting up this state of the art technology facility in Hyderabad and welcome him and team DataWind to the state of Telangana. They are the leaders in delivering Internet access to emerging markets. The Govt of Telangana will provide full support to them to ensure that their operations are streamlined and successful. The Investment made by DataWind will not only contribute to the revenue of the state but will also be instrumental in generating jobs," said Minister of IT and Industry Telangana, KT Rama Rao.
DataWind took a major step in the direction of realizing Prime Minister Narendra Modi's vision of 'Make in India' by setting up its Hyderabad facility with a phased investment of Rs. 100 crore.
The Hyderabad facility will manufacture two million units in the first year, whereas at full capacity it can reach up to five million units. The company will generate employment of around 1000 employees of which the company has already hired 500 employees.
"Canada strongly values its relationship with India, including our growing trade and investment relationship in the information and communication technology space. DataWind's launch of another state of the art facility is a prime example of the collaborative spirit between Canada and India for the benefit of our societies and of economies. DataWind's is a prime example of Canadian companies investing in India for its betterment, and reflects the best of Canadian values. We look forward to continue strengthening our partnership going forward as India strives to achieve its Make in India objectives," said High Commissioner of Canada, Nadir Patel.
Suneet Singh Tuli while thanking the Minister of IT, Telangana and High Commissioner of Canada said, "I and the entire team of DataWind are honoured by the presence of Rama Rao and his Excellency Nadir Patel who have taken out their time to inaugurate our Hyderabad facility. By producing state-of-the-art and most affordable devices in India, we not only wish to supply products that would make Indians proud, but boost 'Skills India' by generating highly skilled employment locally."
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"We are humbled by the huge market support which has positioned as India's largest tablet manufacturer for the last many quarters. We expect to continue expanding our dominant position in the tablet market by increasing the range of products which will be manufactured at our newly inaugurated facility in Hyderabad and other facility in Amritsar," added Suneet Singh.
"We welcome DataWind to Hyderabad and congratulate them on the opening of their state-of-the-art manufacturing facility in our airport city. We are confident that DataWind will further expand its facility adding to Brand Hyderabad by contributing effectively to the economy of Telangana and the region, in line with vision of the government for "Make in Telangana" and "Make in India"," said CEO GMR Hyderabad International Airport Ltd, SGK Kishore.
The company has an assembly unit in Amritsar and had in 2013 set-up India's first and only manufacturing facility for touch panels. DataWind's first unit in Amritsar manufactures more than one lakh units per month, and almost 20 lakh to date.
DataWind's products break the affordability barrier and deliver Internet access across traditional mobile networks as DataWind executes its vision to empower the next three billion Internet users.
The company's success to date reinforces the fact that DataWind is the only tablet provider in India focused on providing affordable devices with Internet access. All DataWind devices come bundled with one year of free unlimited web access, and feature the most affordable plans available due to the company's unique, patented technology that reduces up to 97 percent the amount of data needed for web browsing.