(L-R): Maria Martinez, COO, Cisco Systems; Chuck Robbins, Chair & CEO, Cisco Systems; and Daisy Chittilapilly, President, Cisco India & SAARC
Cisco Systems, the world’s leading new-age networking products & systems company, has taken a momentous decision for setting up a large manufacturing facility in the Southern Indian state of Tamil Nadu (TN) for making switches and routers that run today’s enterprises & organizations. The company plans to export as well as feed the Indian domestic market with the networking products that would be rolled out of the planned factory. The company aims at harnessing at least a $1 Billion in annual sales of networking systems manufactured at its Tamil Nadu production unit. The factory is expected to be up and running in a year’s time from now.
Cognizant of India’s rapid advance on the growth and development trajectory, Cisco Systems has thought it prudent to establish its manufacturing base in India, which would be the 18th factory of the company in the world. This move is a part of Cisco Systems’ strategy to create an even more diverse and resilient global supply chain and support India’s vision of becoming a global manufacturing hub. India is going to be a $5 Trillion ‘data and AI’ driven economy, where high-quality connectivity would play a major role – something Cisco Systems has been thrilled about.
“Today, we’re announcing strategic investments in Indian manufacturing capabilities as the next step in delivering cutting-edge technologies to our customers in India and across the globe,” said Chuck Robbins, Chair & CEO, Cisco Systems. “Fueled by a rapidly developing digital economy, India is a focal point of innovation and business for Cisco, and we remain deeply committed to our partnerships here in the country,” elaborated Robbins.
The creation of a new manufacturing operation was announced by Cisco Systems Chair & CEO Chuck Robbins in New Delhi, following a meeting with the Prime Minister, Narendra Modi, and a series of strategic engagements with Dr. S Jaishankar, External Affairs Minister; Rajeev Chandrasekhar, Union Minister of State for Entrepreneurship, Skill Development, Electronics & Technology; B.V.R. Subrahmanyam, CEO of NITI Aayog; and K. Rajaraman, Telecom Secretary. The decision made by the Cisco Systems leadership jells quite well with the Make-in-India drive enunciated by the Modi Government.
Daisy Chittilapilly, President, Cisco Systems India & SAARC, said, “India is of strategic importance for Cisco, and we continue to bet on India. Today’s announcement marks a significant milestone to power the next phase of growth for Cisco Systems. This investment will enable us to bring state-of-the-art technologies to more people and businesses and help accelerate India’s transition into a leading digital economy.”
With organizations in India and across the globe fast-track their digitization, their technology needs are growing and evolving rapidly. The manufacturing facility will build Cisco Systems’ best-in-class technology, designed to provide flexible, cost-effective delivery of next-generation services and applications and support complex cloud computing environments. The products can meet companies’ dynamic demands as they strive to foster agility in an increasingly hybrid, digital-first world.
For Cisco Systems, India has acted as a key market and a top destination for carrying out R&D activities. Ever since its operations started 1995, the company has consistently focused on assisting India digitize at scale and speed, including accelerating the transformation of critical sectors including, BFSI, PSUs, transport and agriculture. The company has been instrumental in supporting India’s quest for producing skilled workforce through the Cisco networking academy program.
Qaisar
