Dhammika Samarawickrama, Chairman of Micro Electric International and Hypro Holdings (Pvt) Limited of Sri Lanka and Byungehul Kim, Chairman and CEO of Lodule International Ltd. of South Korea entered into an MoU, last week, in order to assemble and manufacture mobile phones in Sri Lanka. Both these companies are well equipped and have the state of the art technology to assemble and manufacture smart 4G mobile phones not only to the domestic market but also to export to the region of South Asia, South East Asia and African region, amongst others.
The Lodule International Ltd., South Korea, CEO, Byungehul Kim, speaking to the media stated that their company in Korea has been manufacturing and supplying all smart phone accessories, LCT panels to most of the leading mobile and Television manufactures in the world. “When we were contacted by Micro Electric International Sri Lanka, we decided to move into the manufacturing segment in Sri Lanka, given the economic and commercial opportunities and vistas in the country.” According to the MoU, Lodule will send the machinery and accessories needed to assemble the mobile phone to Sri Lanka and will also base a number of Korean engineers to supervise and direct the operations, who in turn will pass the technology to Hypro Holdings in Sri Lanka. “Since Micro Electric International is already manufacturing electric accessories locally, some mobile accessories such as the mobile cover and few other items can be manufactured locally”, added Samarawickrama, the Chairman of Micro Electric International Limited.
The Lodule International Ltd., South Korea, CEO, also said that this is only the beginning of their operations and in the future, hopes towards introducing the 5G smart phones and also towards the assembly of LCD TV panels in Sri Lanka. The Hypro Holdings (Pvt) Ltd Chairman, Dhammika Samarawickrama, stated that some of the molds and other equipment have already been imported and they are confident and optimistic that the first made in Sri Lanka mobile phone, Hypro, could be marketed by December 2021 for under Rs. 30,000.
The former Ambassador of Sri Lanka to South Korea and Director General Economic Affairs, Foreign Ministry Prof. A. Saj U. Mendis said that the launch of the Hypro Made in Sri Lanka mobile phone would contribute towards changing the economic landscape of Sri Lanka, thus elevating the nation to a high-tech nation. Prof. Mendis who promoted this project from the inception, recalled that when Samsung was launched in South Korea many leading global mobile operators laughed at them. “However, Samsung unseeded several mobile manufacturers and became one of the most sought after mobile manufactures in the world competing and vying, directly, with Apple Inc., which is today the largest corporate in the world.’’
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