A company official announced on Wednesday that Bharat Innovative Glass Technologies (BIG Tech), a joint venture between U.S. glass technology giant Corning and Optiemus Infracom, is expected to start operations in December of this year.
This will be India's first facility to produce high-quality, finished cover-glass parts for mobile consumer electronics, helping to meet the country's growing manufacturer demand.
When asked about the status of the new facility, the official stated, "We are trying to get it started in December this year".
The cover-glass is a protective layer that manufacturers place on top of a mobile display before shipping a device to market. Corning's popular Gorilla Glass material has been incorporated into more than eight billion devices from over 45 major brands, including Samsung, Xiaomi, Motorola, Oppo, Google Pixel, and Huawei.
RhinoTech glass
Optiemus Infracom has launched RhinoTech, a line of made-in-India tempered glass screen protectors featuring glass engineered by Corning. According to Optiemus Chairman Ashok Kumar Gupta, RhinoTech combines global technology and innovation with enhanced hygienic benefits, such as anti-microbial properties. The screen protectors will be manufactured at Optiemus' facility in Noida, Uttar Pradesh.
Corning will provide a specialised line of screen protectors utilising technology developed in its labs for the ultimate screen protection. Optiemus will process the glass at its Noida factory through chemical treatment before selling the product in the local market, starting in September.
Cover glass for iPhone
In a separate development, Apple also partnered with Corning and invested $2.5 billion to make all cover-glass for the iPhone and Apple Watch at Corning's manufacturing facility in Harrodsburg, Kentucky. As a result of this partnership, 100 per cent of the cover-glass on iPhones and Apple Watches sold globally will be made in the U.S. for the first time.
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