HPE Aruba is likely to open its manufacturing plant in India sometime in June to September 2019, said a senior executive. In September last year, the American networking firm has made the announcement that it was looking to initiate manufacturing of its diverse product portfolio in the networking domain in India.
While speaking at an event organised by the International Institute of Information Technology Bangalore (IIITB), HPE Aruba Director Santanu Ghose said that his company will be able to inaugurate manufacturing plant in India sometime in June to September.
“Our entire R&D facility functions between Chennai and Bangalore and we should be able to inaugurate our manufacturing plant in India sometime in June to September,” said Ghose.
According to senior executives, over the last five years, Aruba has invested close to $300 million in India towards product development at its facilities in Bengaluru and Chennai. Going forward, the company plans to increase investment in technology manufacturing capabilities.
The products manufactured in India will initially be targeted for the local market, but will eventually be exported to other countries, thereby making India an export hub for the company.
HPE Aruba is investing about $60 million annually in R&D every year in India and with manufacturing plant in place, the company expects this number to significantly go up, said a senior executive.
Ghose said that in today's time network, data and overall technology have become more important than anything else. “If Wi-Fi is not coming in the campus, the head is likely to get more complaint than what they get for electricity cut,” he said.
He emphasised that wireless technology has become critical stating that Aruba has done a lot of innovations in the wireless area and especially on the issue of interrupted connectivity.
“We have ensured swift connectivity within the WiFi zone from one AP to another with the help of our product, client match. The stickiness problem is solved by client match as it is able to assess which device has the strongest signal in the WiFi zone. As a result, you are able to experience or consume content much better,” he said.
He said that network is also becoming a major source of service delivery from asset tracking, network as surveillance to network as an emergency response tool.
Ghose said that HPE Aruba is playing an enabling role in the government's Digital India program by enabling rural connectivity and railway surveillance projects. “Our impending India manufacturing plant is in tune with Make in India,” he said.
