Logitech, which makes workspace products such as webcams, has started manufacturing in India for the first time, at a facility in Manesar, not far from Delhi, run by a local manufacturing partner. Production starts with webcams, and Logitech said more product categories will follow as processes mature and each product completes qualification.
Logitech did not disclose the investment, the size of the facility or its capacity. The partner has not made products for Logitech before. It shares the site with other equipment makers, but Logitech’s production area and assembly line are dedicated to its work, with restricted access, according to 91mobiles.
Sree Chenincherry, Logitech’s chief supply chain operations officer, described the start as the beginning of a longer effort to build manufacturing capability in India. Logitech has hired some local manufacturing staff and plans to grow the team, drawing on resources from elsewhere in Asia in the first phase.
Today, a large percentage of Apple phones and other products are assembled in India for the domestic market and also for export. Samsung’s largest phone manufacturing facility in the world is located in Noida, also near Delhi.
A webcam. Illustrative photo by Hayden Schiff, CC BY 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons.
What changes for customers
Logitech said local manufacturing will shorten shipping distances, cut freight emissions and reduce lead times. The company does not expect prices to change in the near term, and reseller margins stay the same. FoneArena reported that the company will add quality engineering, plant operations, supply chain management and local component supplier work in India.
Exports are not an immediate goal. Logitech will consider them as the operation matures and has set no timeline.
Logitech already runs a global capability center in Chennai, in southern India, that covers hardware, software, data analytics, artificial intelligence experiences and quality assurance. Manesar adds a factory to that engineering base.
Why this matters
Logitech now makes part of its range in India, with a local partner and a dedicated line. American executives weighing a similar step can see the choices Logitech made: one product category to start, a contract partner rather than a plant of its own, and no export plan yet, alongside the engineering center it already runs in Chennai.
