India’s Push to Boost PCB Manufacturing and Reduce Import Dependence

India needs ₹10,000–15,000 crore in additional investments over the next 2–3 years to reduce its reliance on imported printed circuit boards (PCBs), according to JS Gujral, MD of Syrma SGS. Currently, domestic PCB production stands at ₹5,000 crore, meeting just 10% of the estimated ₹50,000 crore annual demand, with 90% imported from China, Taiwan, Japan, and Hong Kong. Under the government’s Electronics Component Manufacturing Scheme (ECMS), Syrma Strategic Electronics is among the first seven approved projects, alongside Amber Enterprises and Kaynes, collectively investing ₹12,000 crore. Despite this, local production is expected to meet only 30–35% of demand by 2027, as total demand could rise to ₹70,000 crore due to growth in electronics consumption, EVs, data centres, and industrial tech. Syrma has started building a ₹1,500-crore PCB plant in Andhra Pradesh, targeting commercial operations by April 2027. The company has also partnered with MSI (Taiwan) and Dynabook (Japan) for high-end laptop assembly in India. However, Gujral stresses that real value lies in motherboard manufacturing, which requires higher volumes to be viable. To achieve scale, Syrma is in talks with global ODMs to manufacture motherboards for both domestic use and export — a critical step toward deepening India’s electronics value chain and achieving self-reliance.