Bkav recently decided to choose MeiKo Electronics as the partner to assemble the Bphone 3 because it needs to make Bphone in large scale and quantity and because of strict requirements from the management board.
Bphone 3 has a more complex design than previous generations with its screen spilling over the phone’s sides and multiple versions in different segments.
Meiko Electronics, one of the global leaders in producing printed circuit boards (PCB) and assembling electronics, is Bkav’s partner in manufacturing Bphone 2. This company also be PCB manufacturer for many major electronic companies such as Samsung and Apple.
Meiko has invested in Vietnam since 2006 and at that time, its investment project was one of the ten largest foreign direct investment (FDI) projects and the largest electronic production one.
At the end of last year, Meiko invested in a third plant in Vietnam and expanded its production facility at the Thach That-Quoc Oai Industrial Park where it produced circuit boards for Bphone 2.
When the design of Bphone 3 leaked online, it attracted a lot of interest form domestic users. It was guessed that Bphone 3 would have lower price than the Bphone's previous generations and would target to a wider range of kinds of customers.
Bkav CEO Nguyen Tu Quang has said that, his company has invested no less than VND500 billion ($21.6 million) for Bphone since 2009 but still do not gain profit.
The CEO admitted that Bkav has to cover loss of any Bphone sold but that problem is not big to him because Bkav has a long-term mission.
Vice President of Bkav Vu Thanh Thang said in a press briefing that Bkav had several partners who want to distribute Bkav products in the foreign market. He emphasized that the partners showed their strong need for cyber security features.
In the future, if the Bphone succeeds in the domestic market, Bkav will have plans to sell it to the international market.
