Manufacturer of BlackBerry, Research in Motion which plans to develop India into a major export hub may set up a manufacturing facility in the country “The company has been building its resources in order to support the growing opportunities as part of its strategy in India cause the country is an important and strategic market for RIM,” RIM's spokesperson said. RIM's Chief Information Officer Robin Bienfait will be in India to meet major BlackBerry customers as well as a variety of current and prospective business partners, the company said. “RIM is always evaluating investment opportunities, including manufacturing and logistics, and Robin plans to further explore such possibilities in India during her visit,” it added. The company, however, declined to comment on how much investment will be made for setting a manufacturing facility and the volume of handsets to be manufactured. However, going by industry norms, setting such a plant may involve an investment of $150-250 million. Sources indicated that Robin will be visiting Chennai, Mumbai and Delhi to identify a location for setting the plant. If fructified, this would be RIM's first manufacturing facility in the Asia-Pacific region, comprising 18 countries in which BlackBerry has a presence and is growing significantly.
