Foxconn Chairman and CEO Young Liu, along with Minister Sri KT Rama Rao, inaugurated T-Works, a cutting-edge prototyping facility aimed at accelerating India’s journey towards becoming a leader in product innovation. The facility, spanning over 78,000 sq ft, was unveiled with a unique kabuki drop, marking the first time such an event has occurred in history.
The event was attended by more than a thousand people, including CEOs and founders of major companies, entrepreneurs, artists, and hobbyists from around the world. Attendees were given a guided tour of the facility, showcasing state-of-the-art equipment, tools, prototypes, and products made using different machinery at T-Works. The inaugural event was further accentuated by a laser show and live performance by Motherjane. The audience was addressed by Minister Sri KT Rama Rao and Mr. Young Liu.
Shri. KT Rama Rao, Minister for IT E&C, MA&UD and Industries & Commerce Departments of Telangana government. “Today, we are proud to dedicate T-Works to our state and nation. T-Works has developed significant products including the ventilator, electric vehicles, and agricultural innovation in collaboration with rural innovators using the state-of-the-art equipment. This is a testament to the kind of product innovation and design thinking that is bound to happen at this world class facility.”
He also talked about the unwavering power of collaboration between countries like India and Taiwan, “IT for me not only stands for Information technology, it represents India and Taiwan. With India’s software prowess and Taiwan’s Hardware expertise, we can lead an industrial revolution and enable youngsters to come out with world class products.” He also honored Mr. Young Liu for his presence at the event and talked about the long term association with Focxonn in future.
Young Liu added, “T-Works as a concept is incredible. With such a facility, people can do so many things. I am impressed by the speed with which this world class facility has been built. I am amazed by the kind of development that has happened in Telangana in the last 7 years.”
Phase 1 of the 78,000 square foot facility is located in a 4.79-acre campus providing over 200 industry-grade tools worth 11.5 cr. This is expected to grow by 10 times over the next 12 months. Further emphasising the essence of collaboration, the Chairman of Foxconn committed to partner with T-Works by donating an SMT (Surface Mount Technology) line, used for assembling high-end electronics circuit boards.
Sujai Karampuri, CEO T-Works, while addressing the attendees, “T-Works is a foundational step in the scheme of an industrial revolution but a giant leap for the entrepreneurs and makers who will take us there. It’s not just the building and the equipment, it’s the know-how that comes with the 60-member strong team. Collaboration among various disciplines is the value that we bring at T-Works. T-Works today comes with equipment worth 11.5 crores (1.3M USD), which shall become 110 cr (13M USD) by end of the year. We are open to anyone and everyone who wants to make and innovate. Innovators can come from anywhere, from startups, from MSME, from large corporations, schools, colleges, rural India.”
He also added, “T-Works is the place where your idea converts into a working prototype, a product for the market. With a combination of design thinking, engineering, and product discipline, our innovators shall build successful products, and hopefully by the end of the decade, we will have many product brands coming out of India. T-Works is a steppingstone to take us in that direction.”
In his address, Shri. Jayesh Ranjan, Principal Secretary, Industries & Commerce, Information Technology, Government of Telangana, shared that, “T-Works is designed to transform ideas into reality, faster than ever before. Over 300 users from startups and corporates have built at T-Works including mainstream products. We believe that design, prototyping are the essential ingredients for building a successful manufacturing capability, and we are proud to support our startups in achieving this goal.”
He also felicitated industry partners including Qualcomm, Vasantha Tools, Huawei and Mouser Electronics.