IT hardware makers push for faster BIS certification to boost local production under PLI scheme
IT hardware manufacturers are urging the government to significantly reduce the five-to-six-month certification process for locally-made laptops and notebooks, which they say is hindering production ramp-up under the production-linked incentive (PLI) scheme for IT hardware.
Industry executives have informed the Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology (MeitY) about the extended timelines for acquiring BIS (Bureau of Indian Standards) certification. This is due to the mandatory separate tests for battery packs installed on laptops, after running viability tests for making the products with local contract manufacturers.
“Currently, because of the requirements of acquiring testing certificates for individual components like the battery pack as well as the laptop as a whole, the whole process takes around 5-6 months, where the products themselves have a shelf life of 8-10 months,” a senior executive at a leading IT hardware brand told ET on condition of anonymity.
IT hardware makers, which currently produce only a few products locally, said their plans to make more models in the country is being hampered by the extended testing protocols. Experts said the issue is particularly true for models that are launched first in India.
“When you want to introduce a Make-in-India model, you, of course, want to launch it in India first, for which we are expected to get all the necessary BIS certifications, which itself takes 4-5 months. After that, we have to test the product in the market and check for feedback,
