India’s first tempered glass manufacturing plant was inaugurated on Saturday in Noida by Union Electronics and IT Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw. The facility, a joint venture between Indian electronics manufacturer Optiemus Infracom and global materials science leader Corning, marks a significant milestone in India’s electronics manufacturing sector.

Speaking at the launch, Vaishnaw highlighted the rapid growth of the industry, stating, “The ecosystem for components is developing rapidly in India. Over the last 11 years, electronics manufacturing has grown sixfold, now valued at around ₹11.5 lakh crore, with exports reaching ₹3.5 lakh crore.” He further emphasized the government’s vision to manufacture every component used in mobile devices within India and boost research and development to make the country a global player.

The Noida facility, built with an initial investment of ₹70 crore, features advanced infrastructure to transform raw materials into high-quality tempered glass. Phase 1 will have an installed capacity of 25 million units annually and generate over 600 direct jobs. In Phase 2, Optiemus plans to scale production to 200 million units per year for domestic and international markets with an additional ₹800 crore investment, creating over 4,500 direct jobs.

India’s tempered glass market is estimated at over 500 million pieces, with a retail value of approximately ₹20,000 crore. Optiemus Chairman Ashok Kumar Gupta called the launch a landmark moment for the Indian electronics sector, noting that despite being one of the world’s largest mobile phone markets, India has so far relied on imports for tempered glass.

Vaishnaw also hinted at future plans, stating that alongside this development, India will soon see locally made semiconductor chips as part of the broader ‘Make in India’ initiative, which already provides approximately 25 lakh jobs in the electronics sector.