The COVID-19 outbreak is already taking its toll on the e-commerce and auto segment, disrupting deliveries and production in India. Now, in line with the local government’s orders, smartphone makers including Samsung, Vivo, Oppo and LG are taking necessary precautions to prevent the spread of the virus.
Samsung has decided to close its smartphone factory in Noida from March 23 to 25, which is just three days as opposed to the week-long city lockdown. This is the company’s largest factory and produces over 12 crore smartphone every year. Samsung has directed all other employees in the marketing, R&D, and sales department to work from home.
“Following the Indian government’s policy, we will temporarily halt operations of our Noida factory until the 25th. We will work hard to make sure there is no setback in supplying our products,” said an official Samsung spokesperson.
We can surely expect some shortages in the short-term but Samsung plans to make up for the setbacks in production. In addition, the three day shutdown will also enable the Korean giant to undertake sanitization and other health measures to better safeguard its workers.
This is the third Samsung factory around the world to shut down temporarily due to the growing concern around COVID-19 outbreak. The company halted production at its South Korean factory earlier this month and moved it to Vietnam to avoid delays.
Apart from Samsung, its counterpart LG too is following state government orders to shut down its home appliance factories in Noida and Pune. Their operation will be halted until the end of the month, i.e 31st March, which is also when the week-long lockdown will come to an end in most cities.
Even Chinese phone makers Vivo and Oppo have halted smartphone production at their Greater Noida factories. They are currently in talks with the local government to discuss future plans and the economic impact of the lockdown. Ericsson and Nokia, on the other hand, are still carrying forward with their production goals at their Pune and Chennai factories.