Cisco India is getting closer in fulfilling the promise made by its Chairman John Chambers to start manufacturing in India.

As a part of networking giant Cisco's plans to make in India, the company for the first time is bringing 100 of its suppliers to India to showcase how the entire supplychain ecosystem can set up base in India.

In a conversation with BusinessLine , Cisco India President Dinesh Malkani said Cisco is trying to build an entire ecosystem for manufacturing in India before the company actually sets up its own factory here.

“Building a manufacturing unit would make no sense if we are still forced to import all the component from abroad. So we are bringing in 100 of our top suppliers to Bengaluru in March and show them why it makes sense to set up manufacturing units in India. These suppliers and partners will attend to deepen collaboration on product development and the Internet of Everything-enabled supply chain technology,” Malkani said. Cisco's investments of $1.7 billion a year into the country are starting to pay off for the company. Cisco India grew 23 per cent in quarter ended January 31. In the previous sequential quarter, the India business grew 40 per cent.

The growth has largely been driven by Cisco's wins in some of the large government contracts, which it expects to accelerate even as the company works on the blueprint to start manufacturing locally.

Bags AP project

Malkani also disclosed that the company has won a large contract to implement a broadband project in Andhra Pradesh wherein it will use electric distribution system to provide high speed Internet to over 2,500 villages in the State. “AP Fiber Net is the first Broadband Project from India and will be the Stepping Stone to the country’s largest ICT initiative of Digital India,” Malkani said. He said it is aggressively bidding for multiple such projects rolled out by various States and the Centre.

The company is also expanding its reach within the country to gain as much mileage to the growth of Internet as possible. “We currently have seven sales offices in India. But this year, we are planning to have one office in almost every State in the country. Later, we'll look at opening satellite offices in small towns of many of these States,” Malkani said.

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