‘Gorilla Glass’ maker Corning is set to begin its display glass finishing in India next year with an initial capacity of 30 million pieces and for that the US-based company and Optiemus on Thursday has entered into a joint venture with Bharat Innovative Glass (BIG) Technologies.

The JV company will manufacture finished front and back cover glass for smartphones and the plant is likely to come up in Tamil Nadu or Telangana, the companies said.

The Indian facility will meet the demand for the domestic consumers first and then expand its operations overseas, the companies said.

“We now have a full portfolio of cover glass offerings for every segment of the mobile device industry, from entry level phones to premium. Today, Corning Gorilla Glass has been used on more than eight-billion devices and we continue to invest in next-gen products and new segments like augmented reality and foldable displays,” John Bayne, Senior Vice President and General Manager - Mobile Consumer Electronics at Corning said.

The company will hire 500 people in the first phase and later will hire more as and when the company expands its market in India, he said.

Bayne said that the cover glass is a key component to electronic devices and 100 per cent of finished cover glass is imported in India for lamination with display panel right now. Therefore, the JV supports government’s ‘Make in India’ vision by bringing cover glass finishing, and Optiemus and Corning are uniquely positioned to lead in India.

“We are enthused by the growth of smartphones in India. Also, the support to the Make in India programme by the government is very encouraging. Optiemus comes in as the right partner as we now look at building manufacturing here,” Bayne added.

Bayne met Telecom and IT Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw later in the evening and praised the government’s programmes on local manufacturing.

Optiemus Infracom is a diversified and a strong player in the Indian mobility ecosystem and has a rich experience in managing, distributing, manufacturing and retailing mobile and other telecom products in India for the last three decades.