Zetwerk Electronics, a contract manufacturing services provider, inaugurated a new electronics manufacturing facility for defence, automotive and information technology hardware at the Karnataka Industrial Areas Development Board (KIADB) Hi-Tech Hardware Park in Bengaluru. The company said the unit has been set up to support manufacturing of high-reliability electronics for mission-critical applications and is expected to commence commercial production during the year.
The facility was inaugurated by Ashwini Vaishnaw, Union Minister for Railways, Information and Broadcasting, and Electronics and Information Technology, and M. B. Patil, Karnataka Minister for Large and Medium Industries.
Vaishnaw said the allocation for the electronic component manufacturing scheme has been increased in the recent Union Budget from INR 220 billion to INR 400 billion. “This will significantly accelerate the electronics manufacturing journey,” he said. He added that India has set a production target of USD 500 billion by the 2030–2031 financial year and that advanced chip design activity, including two-nanometre designs, is already taking place in the country. He also said that Applied Materials and Lam Research have established operations in India, while adding that attracting ASML remains a future objective.
He further stated that commercial semiconductor production is expected to begin this year and that the Semicon 2.0 programme will focus on design, equipment manufacturing, chemicals, gases, validation and yield improvement. “We aim to prepare 85,000 silicon engineers over 10 years, and in four years, we have already trained 67,000,” he said, adding that a roadmap from 28-nanometre to seven-nanometre technology has been defined under the programme.
The Zetwerk Electronics facility is designed to manufacture complex products across avionics, electronic warfare and electric vehicle components, including battery management systems, charging stations and lighting. The unit houses advanced manufacturing lines, clean rooms and a dedicated environmental stress testing laboratory.
Karnataka’s Minister for Large and Medium Industries said the new unit strengthens India’s capability to design, build and deliver high-reliability electronics for defence, aerospace and automotive applications. He added that the state is investing over INR 40 billion to extend assured Cauvery water supply to industrial areas in and around Bengaluru, along with investments in roads, power and logistics.
Rahul Sharma, co-founder and managing director for precision manufacturing at Zetwerk, said the facility has been built to meet global aerospace and defence standards. “In aerospace and defence, the parts and products are mission-critical, not just from a safety point of view but also from the security of the nation,” he said. Sharma added that Zetwerk plans to invest around INR 1 billion in electronics manufacturing facilities in the Bengaluru region and has already deployed about 50 to 60 percent of a previously outlined INR 10 billion electronics investment over the past one to two years.
Zetwerk provides contract manufacturing services across industrial and electronics segments and has been expanding its electronics manufacturing capacity in India.
