Lava International, leading mobile manufacturing brand, has inaugurated a new component and charger manufacturing unit at its Noida facility, stepping up its localisation strategy as India’s electronics manufacturing ecosystem moves beyond simple assembly towards deeper value addition.
The expansion comes at a time when the Indian government is aggressively pushing domestic electronics production under the Make in India initiative, with an increasing focus on local sourcing of components, supply chain resilience and employment generation. For Lava, the move signals a transition from being primarily a handset assembler to becoming a more integrated electronics manufacturing player.
Why the move matters
India’s smartphone manufacturing industry has grown rapidly over the last decade, but much of the ecosystem still relies heavily on imported components. By setting up a dedicated component and charger manufacturing unit, Lava is attempting to reduce dependence on global supply chains while improving operational control over product quality and costs.
The company said the facility has been developed with six sigma manufacturing principles aimed at improving efficiency, consistency and manufacturing standards.
The new unit also aligns with the government’s broader ambition of increasing domestic value addition in electronics manufacturing..
Lava bets on Indian-led innovation
Lava International MD Sunil Raina said Lava’s journey over the last 17 years has been centred on building a homegrown technology brand for global markets.
“Lava Mobiles in its 17 years journey has always prioritised building a homegrown technology brand rooted in India for global audience. We have valued product quality, manufacturing capabilities, design autonomy and most importantly a clean, clear product experience for the users,” he said.
According to Raina, the new manufacturing unit is part of Lava’s long-term vision to drive innovation from India while strengthening its manufacturing and R&D capabilities by 2030.
Beyond exports and production volumes
Lava International Executive Director & Chief Manufacturing Officer Sanjeev Agarwal said India’s electronics story should not be viewed purely through export growth and production numbers.
He noted that the industry must also create employment opportunities and support engineering talent capable of developing products tailored for Indian consumers.
Lava’s Noida plant currently employs around 3,000 workers and has an annual production capacity of 20 million units. The company said the new component manufacturing operations will add annual capacity of 9 million units.
Focus on workforce development
Alongside manufacturing expansion, Lava is also investing in workforce development through in-house training programmes, NAPS apprenticeships and B.Voc initiatives. The company said university fees for the B.Voc programme are fully funded by Lava, creating pathways for factory workers to move into engineering and supervisory roles.
The strategy reflects a growing trend among Indian manufacturers to build long-term technical talent pipelines as competition intensifies in electronics production.
Bigger play in electronics ecosystem
The latest expansion also highlights Lava’s ambitions beyond feature phones. While the company remains a major player in the feature phone segment, it is increasingly focusing on smartphones and adjacent electronics categories such as TWS devices.
With component manufacturing now becoming part of its operations, Lava appears to be positioning itself as a more vertically integrated electronics manufacturer at a time when India is seeking to establish itself as a credible alternative in global supply chains.