Samsung gets permission to resume operations at its Noida mobile factory

Samsung on Friday said it has received the permission from the state government to resume smartphone production at its Noida facility. The company assured it will follow social distancing and other requisite measures at the premises.

"The factory has started limited operations, which will be scaled up over a period of time. Employee safety and well-being remain our absolute priority. We have ensured that all hygiene and social distancing measures are maintained at the premises, as per government guidelines," said Partha Ghosh, Head, Corporate Communications, Samsung Southwest Asia in a statement to IANS.

According to IANS, Samsung will take some more time to fulfill 30% workforce requirement at the facility.

Samsung had opened Noida manufacturing plant in 2018. The Noida facility is also its largest in the world.

The resumption of the manufacturing plant comes after the government eased the Covid-19 lockdown restrictions in orange and green zones. Smartphone companies, like other industries, have been hit hard by the Covid-19 pandemic. These companies are now exploring different ways to accelerate sales in the country.

Samsung, for example, has embraced an offline-online strategy to allow users purchase phones from their neighbourhood stores online. Xiaomi is also experimenting with something similar with Mi Commerce.

Samsung has also resumed online sales on its official e-store and e-commerce partners such as Amazon and Flipkart.