Xiaomi has seen a meteoric rise in the Indian smartphone industry in the last few years. The company seemingly came out of no-where to secure the top spot in the budget and mid-range segments. As far as latest hardware is concerned, the company launched the Xiaomi Redmi Note 8 Pro and Redmi Note 8. In addition to scaling the market in terms of sales, the company is also working hard behind the scenes. This behind the scenes work includes ensuring high-quality smartphones and keeping a tab on India-centric problems.
Xiaomi invited us to get a comprehensive look at how the Redmi Note 8 Pro smartphone is made in India. Xiaomi shared almost all the details of the manufacturing process right from sourcing the raw material to packing and shipping. So, without much waiting, let’s jump in.
Raw material sourcing and Quality check
Xiaomi started the tour of its Foxconn factory at Sri City in Andhra Pradesh with the raw material testing center. The company showcased the large warehouse where all the parts fly in from its local suppliers. It currently sources about 65 percent of the material from local manufacturers.
Xiaomi also shared details about the preliminary quality check of the raw material as per ISI (Indian Standard) guidelines. It takes about 0.65 percent parts from a typical batch of 10,000 camera modules back panels or batteries to inspect. If any of the parts fail, the entire batch is canceled. To avoid this, part makers pre-check the raw material before sending it to Xiaomi. After this, the company orders the parts and then stores them in the factory months before the actual launch.
Xiaomi Redmi Note 8 Pro Assembly
Now, the actual assembly work starts. The entire process separates into different individual cells and stages. These stages include offline assembly, testing and finally packing. Making a Redmi Note 8 Pro is a nearly 100-step process.
Excessive focus on Quality check
Throughout the assembly process, the company outlined multiple attempts at ensuring the quality of the smartphone. This includes a thorough inspecting, individual component quality check, and multiple comprehensive tests of the assembled smartphone. The phone is repeatedly tested at all the stages or steps of the assembly to ensure it works well. This also includes a torture test, splash-resistance testing, numerous automated hardware and software tests, and more.
QR Codes everywhere
The company also revealed that each smartphone and accessory component is tied to IMEI of the smartphone. This allows the company to track everything regarding the smartphone even after the sale. Xiaomi and Foxconn can use this to pinpoint any error at the assembly down to the exact worker or part supplier. This allows the company to locate and fix issues at the source.
Testing till the last moment
One would think that packing the smartphone in the carton is the last step in manufacturing. However, Xiaomi proved that this assumption is incorrect. As part of manufacturing Redmi Note 8 Pro, the company shared details about another inspection after packing. The company inspects the average weight of each carton to ensure that it is in the ideal weight range.
Any difference prompts the company to re-inspect the package. Beyond this, Xiaomi and Foxconn teams also take 10 percent of packed smartphones from the carton for tests at the end. This in-factory check is called OBA test to ensure that the smartphone works as the company intends.
Design for India
Muralikrishnan B, Chief Operating Officer at Xiaomi, insists that smartphone makers should “Design for India” instead of fixing issues later. He outlined some of the steps that Xiaomi has taken while making a smartphone for India. These include introducing P2i coating, adding rubber caskets, including charging adapters that can withstand voltage fluctuations, self-cleaning speakers, and anti-corrosive coating on the USB port and charging cable.
