Apple Inc. starts iPhone 15 production in India
Apple Inc. starts iPhone 15 production in India (Getty Images)
Apple Inc. is beginning the production of the next-generation iPhone 15 in India, in an effort to further narrow the gap between its India operations and main manufacturing base in China, according to Bloomberg.
"A Foxconn Technology Group plant in Sriperumbudur, India, is preparing to deliver the newest devices only weeks after they start shipping from factories in China, as the company seeks to swiftly increase the volume of new iPhones coming from India," the media says.
The Cupertino, California-based firm is on a multiyear project to diversify its manufacturing away from China, de-risking the supply chain for its most important products as tensions between Washington and Beijing make trade less predictable.
India, under Prime Minister Narendra Modi, has sought to build closer ties to the U.S. and make itself a manufacturing hub.
"Before the iPhone 14, Apple had only a sliver of its iPhone assembly in India, which lagged China output by six to nine months. That delay was drastically reduced last year, and Apple produced 7% of its iPhones in India at the end of March," the statement reads.
The goal this year is to move closer to parity on shipment timing from India and China, though suppliers are not yet certain they will achieve it, according to anonymous sources.
Moving Apple's plants out of China
Apple Inc. intends to expedite the relocation of its factories from China due to widespread disruptions. The company's decision was influenced by disturbances at the iPhone production plant in the city of Zhengzhou. Massive protests at Apple's key manufacturing facility in China resulted in the underproduction of nearly 6 million iPhone Pros.
Taiwanese company Foxconn Technology Group, Apple's main supplier, is investing approximately $500 million in constructing two component manufacturing plants in India.
