Foxconn is apparently facing difficulties with its new large-scale iPhone factories in India. It is reported by US tech platform Rest of the World, which is dedicated to reporting on technology topics in the global South. Accordingly, the Taiwanese manufacturer, which bore the brunt of Apple’s smartphone production, has shut down Sending workers from China to the subcontinentWho work at the site and train the Indian employees. Additionally, there are reportedly problems in the delivery of essential machines.
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Problems from Beijing and New Delhi
Apple has recently invested heavily in India to make the country the second largest production location for iPhones and other hardware in the future. As usual, the company uses large OEM companies that operate actual factories. In India, these include Foxconn and Flex (formerly Flextronics). Pegatron and local provider Tata. One reason for India’s problems is geopolitically motivated: China and India are in constant diplomatic crisis. Special equipment from Indian factories is said to be withheld by Beijing, while Chinese Foxconn employees are not being allowed to leave the country. Therefore Foxconn has started bringing employees from Taiwan to India. Foxconn is said to have already recalled Chinese employees from India.
iPhones have been manufactured in Tamil Nadu since 2019, and the latest generation is now significantly faster. However, as with the rest of the world, factories still rely heavily on immigrants from China and Taiwan, as they are used as managers, engineers, technicians, and support staff to manage production. It is being said that apart from Beijing, visas are not being issued in some cases in New Delhi also. In response, Foxconn is said to have expanded its supply of initial products from China for iPhone production. These “semi-finished” models are finally assembled in India.
The move to India was really successful
Rest of the World writes that so far, moving parts of iPhone production from India to China is working really well. In the fiscal year ending March 2024, Apple is said to have already manufactured iPhones worth US$14 billion in India, a total of seven devices.
Beijing seems unhappy with this. A researcher at Princeton University told Rest of the World that it’s possible China was surprised by the speed of implementation — or even the fact that the iPhone production move was possible. Beijing may now try to slow down this process. Apple itself always emphasizes that India should be an additional manufacturer, but it still sees its future in China.
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