“The agreement with Foxconn covers manufacturing of 'TFT screens and semiconductors'”, he said. Founder and Chairman of Foxconn, Terry Gou declined to comment when asked if the agreement also entails manufacturing mobile phones, the forte of the the firm. He said he had been in discussions with Maharashtra for over 2 months. “I have personally met Fadnavis seven times in the last two months,” Terry said, identifying strong leadership, along with Maharashtra's other strengths like being a centre of finance, strong talent pool and an ability to integrate software and hardware, as factors that sealed the mega pact.
A team of 70 people were in works on the deal for the last two months. This is the first specific investment announcement by Foxconn, the manufacturer of iconic Apple i-Phones, after it left the country following the closure of the Nokia plant in Tamil Nadu on tax woes earlier this year.
A senior official from Maharashtra Industries Department said the presence of the company will be divided across either two or three sites. The first will be a 900-acre manufacturing unit, for which the state has suggested a land parcel near Talegaon in Pune while the second will be a research and development hub, along with a smart city which will house its employees, schools and colleges, among other facilities.
