Union Minister for Electronics and Information Technology Ashwini Vaishnaw on Saturday inaugurated India’s first tempered glass manufacturing facility for mobile devices at Noida.
The facility has been set up by Optiemus Electronics in collaboration with Corning Incorporated of the United States and will produce high-quality tempered glass under the global brand “Engineered by Corning” for both domestic and international markets.
Speaking on the occasion, Vaishnaw said the indigenous production of tempered glass is a major step in the success of the government’s Make in India initiative and Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s vision of a self-reliant India.
“Step by step, India will manufacture each and every component used in mobile phones, including chips, cover glasses, laptop and server components,” the minister said, adding that a Made in India chip would be rolled out soon.
The minister said electronics manufacturing in India has increased six times in the past 11 years to reach a production value of Rs 11.5 lakh crore. Exports have crossed Rs 3 lakh crore and direct and indirect employment in the sector has reached 25 lakh, he said.
Vaishnaw said India’s design capability is its biggest strength and highlighted examples such as an IIT Madras-incubated startup that has developed the country’s first microcontroller. In the railway sector, he said, Indian firms are already exporting globally competitive equipment to Europe.
He also said India’s economy, which grew at 7.8 per cent in the first quarter of FY26, is stable and innovation-driven, and called upon the youth to contribute to the vision of Atmanirbhar Bharat and Viksit Bharat 2047.
Optiemus Infracom chairman Ashok Kumar Gupta described the launch as a landmark moment for Indian electronics manufacturing. He said India, despite being one of the largest mobile phone markets, had so far depended on imports for tempered glass.
ICEA chairman Pankaj Mahindroo said the segment is labour-intensive and offers a major opportunity for India to meet its own large domestic demand and become a leading exporter. He said the initiative would also create opportunities for MSMEs and generate employment.
With an initial investment of Rs 70 crore, the Noida plant will have a capacity of 2.5 crore units annually in the first phase, employing over 600 people.
In the second phase, with an investment of Rs 800 crore, the capacity will be raised to 20 crore units annually, generating more than 4,500 jobs.
Industry estimates put India’s domestic tempered glass market at more than 500 million pieces annually, with a retail value of about Rs 20,000 crore. The global market is valued at over $60 billion.
