FINANCE
Uzbekistan intends to bring the level of localization of LCD TV production to 50% in the next two years
Today, the country annually manufactures about 150,000 TVs. The market is shared by four leading manufacturers – Roison, Artel, Photon and Zenith Electronics.
Uzbek manufacturers have set an ambitious goal to increase the production of state-of-the-art TV sets by 4.4 times by 2020 – from 150,000 in 2015 to 670,000. There are marketing outlets both in Uzbekistan and neighboring Central Asian countries. There is a big challenge to resist the competition with the Chinese manufacturers who supply not always quality, but cheap goods.
The domestic manufacturers are intending to intensify the localization of components inside the country, since such projects always aim at making localized goods much more affordable than their imported counterparts. Among other things, they also help stimulating the domestic demand and replacing foreign goods with quality and domestically produced output.
The work in this direction has been underway. By 2014, the production of LCD TVs was based on large-block assemblies with localization level under 35%, while last year the localization level reached 40% as a result of the establishment of production of integrated circuit boards, case and component parts, cables, remote controls and other components. In 2017, the index is expected to exceed 50% through the development of LCD panel production at the domestic facilities.
Zenith Electronics, which produces TVs under the Samsung brand, has been most active. The company purchased South Korea’s automated production line of electronic boards and a set of additional equipment for the production of electronics. In the current year, it is planning to invest another $1 million in the further modernization of production.
Photon has scheduled the launch of a new production line of 42-inch TVs this December. The Uzbek company will be most likely partnered by the Chinese investors. The trial batch will number 10,000 TV sets.
Roison intends to complete the second phase of expansion of the electrical appliances plant in Jizzakh by the end of the current year. This would allow bringing the production volume of TV sets at the plant to 200,000. The project’s total cost exceeds $26 million.
(Source: «Uzbekistan Today» newspaper)
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