Wipro enters printed circuit market with ₹500-crore facility in Bengaluru

Marking its entry into the electronic components ecosystem, Wipro Infrastructure Engineering has set up a new business division called Wipro Electronic Materials with a manufacturing unit coming up near the Kempegowda International Airport in Bengaluru. Wipro will invest nearly ₹500 crore in the unit that is expected to create over 300 jobs. 

The new facility will manufacture copper clad laminate (CCL)–a heavily imported base material for printed circuit boards (PCBs)–that goes into the making of most electronic devices. The company expects the product rollout within the next 12 months.

Wipro Infrastructure Engineering is part of the Azim Premji private group company, Wipro Enterprises Ltd.

The new business is headed by Neeraj Pandita and Tarun Amla, industry veterans with experience in the PCB industry. Speaking to Fortune India, Pandita, founder & co-CEO, Wipro Electronic Materials, said that with the government’s thrust on electronics manufacturing, the time is ripe for the market debut. 

From cars to mobile phones to communication devices and televisions, CCL is an essential part of all smart electronic systems. The company is focussed on catering to the needs of the communication industry along with automotive and AI servers.   

Wipro Electronic Materials’ initial focus will be on the domestic market, but the long-term roadmap is to become a laminate exporter. “The focus market for this product will currently be in India, but in the next two or three years, there will also be a major shift towards export. In a year or two, we will gradually start exporting with a domestic to export ratio of 50:50,” said Pandita. 

While some raw materials to produce the laminates will be sourced from India, the company will rely on imports for materials that are not yet locally available. Amid the ongoing shortage of rare earth mineral supply, Pandita said the imported raw materials will be sourced from Taiwan, China, Europe, and Korea.  “We have several options, so we are not dependent only on China.”

As of March 31, 2024, Wipro Infrastructure Engineering posted ₹6,632 crore in revenues, registering a 20% growth compared to ₹5,430 crore in the previous fiscal.