Following the six-week-long shutdown of all ‘non-essential’ businesses, the UP government has given the nod to Samsung, Oppo, Vivo and Lava to resume production at their respective manufacturing facilities in the Noida-Greater Noida belt. The news comes just days after the Home Ministry announced a relaxation of lockdown restrictions in so-called ‘Green’ and ‘Orange’ zones in the country, although, most of the restrictions remain in place in the ‘Red’ zones.
Confirming the news, Pankaj Mohindroo, chairman of India Cellular & Electronics Association (ICEA), said: “Permissions have been received by the majority of the companies, though the workforce has been truncated to 20-30%. It is extremely difficult to reach any kind of optimisation and efficiency in this manner”. The organization represents a bunch of consumer technology companies in the country, including Oppo, Vivo, Apple, Lava, Xiaomi and Foxconn, among others.
Oppo has announced that it will operate its Greater Noida plant at 30 percent capacity, with about 3,000 employees out of its total workforce of 10,000+ working in rotation from Firiday, May 8th. “As the business gets back to usual in due course of time, the production will be enhanced to full capacity”, the company said in an official press release. Oppo also said that it has put in place a host of stringent safety measures related to hygiene and social distancing, both at its manufacturing facility and retail outlets.
Oppo has also commenced sales of its devices for consumers in the green and orange districts through both online and offline channels. According to the company, 22 percent of its shops are in the permitted zones, and and much like Xiaomi’s Mi Commerce service, customers can also order from these outlets via WhatsApp (+91 9871502777) or SMS (+91 9540495404) to get contact-less home-delivery. The SMS-based connectivity will be available from May 8th, while the WhatsApp option will be available from May 10th.
