Chinese Realme plans android manufacturing facility in Pakistan

LAHORE: Director Marketing Pakistan, He Shunzi aka Harvey, overseeing the operations of Realme in three countries Pakistan, Nepal, and Bangladesh shared the future plans of the company, including establishment of the first ever mobile phone manufacturing factory in Pakistan by a Chinese manufacturer.

Q. Realme established manufacturing plants in different countries where it was in the market, including in India – any such plan for Pakistan?

A. Yes of course – this is the core part of the Realme success strategy - to establish a manufacturing factory in the country where it is doing business. So, is the case for Pakistan; we are in the process of establishing a manufacturing unit in Pakistan like in India, Indonesia, Vietnam, Bangladesh and others. Initially we launched in these markets with the same model that started business in Pakistan.

Later, we acquired land and other permissions to establish a manufacturing unit there. So in Pakistan, for this purpose, Realme has already looked for a place to establish a factory and we are seriously looking for land. We have already visited Islamabad and Peshawar for this purpose besides Faisalabad Industrial Estate. Once we find required land, the work on the factory will gear up.

Q. What is the prospect of the mobile industry of Pakistan in ongoing economic pressure when consumer’s purchasing power is shrinking?

A. Despite all economic odds, Pakistani mobile market has great potential which was proved with Realme positioned in top five in less than nine months, capturing almost 8.0 percent of total market share in the budget class range of android phones. The company has already launched seven products across different price segments from premium flagships to trendy mid-rangers, all designed particularly for the youth. We are planning for the launch of the next products in the classic realme series in the coming months. The company has been proving it has planned an even steeper growth trajectory than its parent company Oppo through a targeted focus on youth.

Q. Any future plan of joint venture with local partner for establishment of manufacturing facility?

A. Not yet. Realme is already working in partnership with Oppo everywhere it is producing mobile phones. Both Realme and Oppo mobile phones are being produced from the same factories. However, any local partnership cannot be overlooked in future.

Q. How are Pakistan’s tax policies affecting the mobile segment?

A. I don’t believe the high taxes have affected the mobile industry growth. However, the industry is smart and managed its business accordingly. Further, we respect and follow the country’s taxation and other laws as it is the country’s sole decision to impose taxes to run the financial affairs. We always support and back the respective countries taxation policies and other laws. Taxes are same for everyone and every company faced it. However, it is a fact that taxes affect the consumers and so the companies too. But, we manage the tax issues from supply side and bring down the prices within the consumers brackets to minimise the impact of taxes on the consumers.