Design, quality, supply chain, talent key to electronics growth: Vaishnaw

India’s electronics manufacturing sector has grown sevenfold in the past 12 years to cross the Rs 13 lakh crore mark, while exports have surged 11-fold to more than Rs 4 lakh crore, Union Minister of Electronics and Information Technology Ashwini Vaishnaw said, underlining the country’s emergence as a global electronics manufacturing hub.

Speaking during the handing over of approvals under the Electronics Component Manufacturing Scheme (ECMS) here on Monday, Vaishnaw called on the electronics industry to focus on design capabilities, an indigenous supply chain, Six Sigma quality and talent development to sustain India’s growth and strengthen its global competitiveness.

He said the growth was being driven by the government’s Atmanirbhar Bharat vision and the Make in India mission, with India steadily building a phased electronics manufacturing ecosystem. The ecosystem is evolving from finished electronic products to modules and components, and further towards the materials and capital equipment required to manufacture these components.

Under the ECMS, 106 projects have so far been approved, involving investments of Rs 69,548 crore across 15 states. These projects are expected to generate around 75,000 direct jobs. Including indirect employment, the 106 factories are projected to create approximately 2.5 lakh jobs, highlighting the scheme’s potential to deepen India’s domestic electronics supply chain and generate large-scale employment.

Vaishnaw said manufacturing had already commenced at 38 projects, while another 16 projects were under construction, indicating strong momentum in translating investments into production.

The minister identified four key priorities for the industry — design capabilities, an indigenous supply chain, Six Sigma quality and talent development.

“Things change very rapidly in electronics,” Vaishnaw said, stressing that domestic design capabilities would allow Indian companies to adapt faster and develop products that meet evolving market requirements.

He identified building an indigenous supply chain as the second key priority. The third pillar, according to Vaishnaw, is the adoption of Six Sigma quality standards and lean manufacturing practices. He said maintaining high quality and efficient manufacturing processes was essential for survival in the highly competitive electronics industry.

“Without Six Sigma quality, there is no survival in electronics manufacturing,” Vaishnaw said.

The fourth priority is talent and workforce development. The minister said skilled manpower would be critical to achieving higher quality, productivity and efficiency across manufacturing processes.

Minister of State for Electronics and Information Technology Jitin Prasada lauded India’s rapid growth in electronics manufacturing, saying the sector’s transformation over the past decade was the result of sustained policy support, leadership and implementation on the ground.

“The world expects us to produce world-class quality products,” Prasada said, expressing confidence that Indian manufacturers would rise to the challenge and strengthen the country’s position in global electronics supply chains.

He also highlighted India’s strengths in quality manufacturing and government policy, saying the country now had greater policy clarity, convenience and ease of doing business to support the industry’s expansion.