HP says that it has no plans to set up a printer manufacturing facility in India.
The company, which has a significant chunk of the printer market, was in 2015 exploring setting up such a facility.
Also, in 2017, “tax changes” had prompted the company to re-assess the proposal. Company officials had then told
When asked about manufacturing printers in India, the company maintained that it had no such plans. The company currently has an R&D facility for printing in Bengaluru, employing more than 500 people, that caters to India and other regions. There are a lot of patents that the Bengaluru research centre files, company officials said.
HP is also setting up a centre for 3D printing in the Andhra Pradesh MedTech Zone (AMTZ), which is a joint venture with the Andhra Pradesh government.
Small and medium businesses (SMBs) are an important area of focus for HP for its printing solutions. The company is also looking at contractual offerings for SMBs — offering hardware, services, and financing to them together. HP has a more than 60 per cent market share in laser printers pegged at about 1.6 million units, according to industry data.
Leo Joseph, Senior Director, Printing Systems and Solutions, HP India, said that the company is also working with the government closely. “We have a share there as well, especially the GeM (Government e-Marketplace) portal that the government has for procurement,” he said, adding that HP also works with Ministries.