Cisco inaugurates manufacturing facility in Chennai; to create 1,200 jobs

Union Communications Minister Jyotiraditya Scindia, along with Cisco CEO Chuck Robbins and other key members at the Chennai facility on September 27. (X/@JM_Scindia)

2 min read Last Updated : Sep 27 2024 | 3:34 PM IST

In a bid to boost its local production capabilities, Cisco has opened its first manufacturing facility in Chennai, the US multinational technology major announced on Friday. With this move, Cisco aims to generate over $1.3 billion annually, enhancing both exports and domestic production.

The project is expected to create 1,200 jobs in Tamil Nadu. To establish the facility, Cisco has partnered with Flex. The unit will initially focus on Cisco's Network Convergence System (NCS) 540 Series of routers. The company plans to produce top-tier routing and switching products at the site to meet growing demand.

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Cisco stated, “This state-of-the-art site will produce a range of Cisco’s best-in-class routing and switching products to meet the rapidly growing technology needs of organisations in India and around the world.”

The facility was inaugurated by Union Communications Minister Jyotiraditya Scindia, along with Cisco CEO Chuck Robbins and Cisco India President Daisy Chittilapilly.

“Cisco has collaborated with Flex to successfully build the Chennai site and bring advanced telecom technology that can help connect citizens in India and globally. This is the next milestone in Cisco and Flex’s longstanding 25-year partnership to ramp up manufacturing across the globe with speed, resilience, and sustainable practices,” the company said.

Going forward, the company plans to focus on advanced printed circuit board (PCB) assembly and industrial-grade products built to withstand severe environmental conditions. Additionally, it will produce complex products requiring thousands of individual components to meet the demands of advanced networking equipment.

Notably, like many others, Cisco is also dealing with the impact of declining demand amid a global economic slowdown, prompting the US tech major to take measures such as cost management through layoffs. According to a report by TechCrunch, Cisco recently laid off more than 5,000 employees, marking the second round of layoffs this year

First Published: Sep 27 2024 | 3:33 PMIST