Smart Hi-Tech Industries, which manufactures HONOR smartphones in Bangladesh, has begun producing smartphone motherboards locally, marking a shift beyond handset assembly as the company seeks to expand domestic manufacturing and explore export opportunities.
The company has introduced a surface-mount technology (SMT) line at its factory in Kaliakair, Gazipur, bringing a key stage of smartphone production into the country, according to a company statement issued on Sunday.
The technology uses precision machinery to place and attach electronic components directly onto circuit boards, which form the core of a smartphone’s electronic system.
Local motherboard production could reduce the company’s dependence on imported assembly kits and partially assembled components, although the extent of import substitution will depend on how much of the production process and component sourcing takes place domestically.
The development comes as a four-member team of Executive MBA participants from Singapore’s Nanyang Business School visits Smart Hi-Tech to examine the company’s transition from assembly towards local manufacturing and assess potential export markets.
The delegation inspected the new production line, reviewed factory operations and visited smartphone retail markets and partner outlets to understand local demand and distribution.
The visit forms part of “Project SmartAscend”, a nine-month engagement under Nanyang Technological University’s SPAN capstone programme, which runs until April 2027.
The project focuses on the operational and commercial challenges of expanding smartphone manufacturing in Bangladesh, including the prospects for entering overseas markets.
During the visit, the delegation met Smart Hi-Tech Group Managing Director Mohammad Zahirul Islam and toured the company’s sales office.
Islam said the new production line represented another step towards establishing Bangladesh as a manufacturing base for electronics.
“When we opened this factory, we said Bangladesh can build world-class electronics at home. Our new SMT line takes that promise further. We are not just assembling phones; we are building them,” he said.
The company is now looking towards South Asia, the Middle East and Africa as potential export destinations, he added.
However, Smart Hi-Tech has not announced any confirmed export orders, overseas distribution agreements or shipment schedules.
Nanyang team leader Glen Lim said the factory inspection and market observations would help the participants understand the company’s manufacturing operations and the conditions in Bangladesh’s smartphone market.
The research engagement is intended to examine how local production capabilities could support the company’s longer-term expansion beyond the domestic market.
Smart Hi-Tech opened its Gazipur factory in December 2025 with an investment of Tk150 crore. The HONOR X6c was the first smartphone produced at the facility under the “Made in Bangladesh” label.
The addition of motherboard production extends the factory’s activities into a more technically demanding stage of electronics manufacturing, although the company has yet to disclose how much domestic value the new process will add to each handset.
