TAV Founder Reveals How Manufacturing Startups Can Compete with China Through R&D Focus

NEW DELHI, April 28, 2025 – Dhruv Garg, co-founder of TAV (Tele Audio Video), shared how his consumer electronics manufacturing company is producing 1.2 million data cables monthly and competing with Chinese imports by focusing on quality, timely delivery, and ethical business practices during an exclusive interview on the Startup Caffe podcast this week. The second-generation entrepreneur discussed how government initiatives like “Make in India” are creating unprecedented opportunities for manufacturing startups and why he believes increased R&D investment is the key to India surpassing China in electronics manufacturing within the next decade.

“To compete with China, we need to focus more on R&D, which I feel India isn’t doing enough of right now,” said Garg. “We’re currently copying China and manufacturing in India. If we invest in R&D, we can easily compete with China. We have all the resources and everything needed.”

Garg’s journey represents a growing trend of traditional manufacturing businesses transforming into innovation-focused enterprises. After joining his father’s commercial electronics business in 2015, he pivoted during the pandemic to focus on consumer electronics, specifically data cables, wired earphones, and chargers. TAV now supplies to major brands including Lava Mobiles, Pronics, and Zabonics.

“After lockdown, it gave shape to TAV to move towards consumer electronics,” explained Garg. “That’s when we started manufacturing electronic speakers, chargers, data cables for different brands.”

The interview highlighted several key advantages for manufacturing startups in India’s current ecosystem:

1. Government Support: “The government is providing the ecosystem and infrastructure for manufacturing so we can export our products,” Garg noted, pointing to the success of initiatives like “Make in India” that have enabled even Apple phones to be manufactured domestically.
2. Global Opportunities: Garg emphasized that deteriorating relations between China and various countries have created openings for Indian manufacturers. “I believe the current changes, these tectonic shifts, will only benefit India significantly because many countries have become irritated with China’s monopolistic practices.”
3. Startup-Friendly Policies: “Because of all the policies the government is implementing and the ecosystem they’re creating for startups, anyone can easily start their own brand,” said Garg, contrasting today’s environment with the more challenging business landscape of two decades ago.

For young entrepreneurs considering entering the manufacturing sector, Garg offered strategic advice: “I would suggest if they want to manufacture and build a new product, they should work on R&D only. They should build a prototype… There are lots of manufacturing units working in India – they can easily approach them to get it manufactured.”

According to Garg, manufacturing startups should focus on three principles: patience in building a business, transparency with customers, and continuous innovation rather than imitation.

“Don’t rush things. Don’t think that on day one you will hit the stars,” Garg advised. “And if you want to build a legacy for yourself, you have to be a truthful brand who is providing transparent things to people.”

TAV’s success story comes at a time when India’s manufacturing sector is experiencing significant transformation, with consumer electronics being particularly dynamic. The company’s growth from traditional electronics manufacturing to becoming a major OEM supplier for mobile accessories demonstrates the potential for Indian manufacturers to capture market share previously dominated by imports.

With 300 employees across two factories operating up to 24 hours daily, TAV represents the kind of manufacturing scale-up that government initiatives have aimed to foster. Garg’s dual focus on electronics manufacturing and healthy snack production also illustrates the diversification opportunities available to entrepreneurs willing to apply innovation across sectors.