Asus eyes laptop exports from India, gunning for enterprise PC crown by 2027

“The low tariff compared to other countries is positive news for India. We see a lot of companies coming to India to set up facilities. We see a lot of companies coming to India to set up facilities. India’s push on electronics is accelerating,” Rex Lee, head of ASUS APAC Commercial PC Business, told Moneycontrol in an interaction.

The global executive said that India's domestic manufacturing ecosystem for electronics such as TVs, smartphones, and home appliances is improving significantly.

He also lauded the Indian government’s push to discourage imports and encourage manufacturing in India, describing it as a step in the “right direction. “I would say now is the time to invest money in India.”

Currently, laptop and tablet brands need import authorisation, as the government aims to monitor imports and promote local manufacturing. The government in the last quarter extended the system allowing unrestricted imports of laptops, tablets and PCs by a year till December 31, 2025

Dinesh Sharma, Vice President of the Commercial PC and Smartphone System Business Group at Asus India, stated that the policy framework necessitates a significant shift in the laptop industry, with a substantial portion of manufacturing relocating to India.

“...with domestic manufacturing, we aim to make India more or equally competitive to other countries. If this happens, the outcome will be exports. We can always look at options from a capacity perspective, as we are a global company. So, we look at all manufacturing locations where we have our manufacturing and potential supply bases worldwide,” Sharma said.

Sharma said Asus is investing significantly in India in manufacturing with Dixon and VVDN.

VVDN has started making enterprise or commercial laptops in Manesar, while Dixon is making consumer laptops in Noida.

Asked if the Taiwanese major is making significant changes to its global supply chain strategy due to the ongoing tariff-related developments, Lee said, “It is up and down at headquarters, and it is a problem for every company. The situation is fluid, and the supply chain is complex. Once things settle down, we will probably have a clear picture.”

India and Vietnam are emerging as clear beneficiaries of the Trump administration’s recent tariff recalibration on consumer electronics after the US lifted reciprocal tariffs on items such as smartphones, laptops, and tablets while leaving intact steep duties on goods made in China, which still faces a 20% tariff on electronics. By contrast, India enjoys zero tariffs on all smartphones.

Asus has also set its sights on becoming India's top enterprise laptop brand, aiming to surpass American rivals such as HP and Dell in the next three years.

“We want to go big for commercial, so it's a worldwide initiative. For APAC, we have set our goal. Within three years, we want to be the number one commercial PC brand in most countries of APAC, including India,” Lee said.

Sharma said the target is to become the leading brand in the enterprise space in India. “All measures, including setting up a sales channel, service centres, manufacturing, among others, are headed in that direction.”