Corning to manufacture cover glass in India from 2024

One of the world’s largest glassmakers, Corning is all set to manufacture cover glass in India. The company that’s known for its Gorilla Glass, especially on smartphones, is setting foot in India. Corning and US-based Optiemus in a joint venture (JV) with Bharat Innovative Glass (BIG) Technologies will set up a manufacturing plant in the country.

The manufacturing plant will likely come up in Tamil Nadu or Telangana. The JV firm will make front and back cover glass for mobile devices. This will support India’s ‘Make in India’ vision.

It is worth noting that the manufactured glass in India will be used locally and then it will be exported overseas. John Bayne, Senio Vice President and General Manager at Movile Consumer Electronics, Corning, revealed that the company has a ‘full portfolio’ of cover glasses.

It has cover glasses for every segment of the mobile device industry, including entry-level phones to premium ones. As part of this partnership, over 500 people will be hired in the first phase of manufacturing. Later, it will hire more people while expanding even further in the Indian market.

While Corning is a popular brand, Opiemus is also a known infracom firm. It is owned by Ace Mobiles, which manufactures customized accessories for mobile phones such as screen guards, powerbands, covers, and others.

Corning and Optiemus are slated to make finished cover glasses at the local manufacturing plant by the end of 2024. The joint venture firm will produce 30 million pieces annually.

There are no details on how much investment has gone into this joint venture. As of now, Optiemus has three manufacturing plants in India and the company already makes products for tablets, wearables, and laptops.

Corning employs over 60,000 people globally and has been one of the top glass makers. It launched its premium Gorilla Glass Victus 2 last year and it was used in many high-end phones in 2023.