Reuters has been informed of Foxconn’s plans by anonymous sources within the Indian government. Even though Apple has been extending manufacturing to other nations, current estimates indicate that China still supplies 95% of the world’s iPhones, with almost 80% of all iPhones being produced at a single factory in Zhengzhou, sometimes known as “iPhone City.” Taiwan-based Foxconn now plans to boost the workforce at its plant in southern India to 70,000 by adding 53,000 more workers over the next two years, said the sources, who declined to be named as the discussions are private.” A COVID-19 outbreak has considerably disrupted production at that site. Due to the disorderly environment or fear of the virus, several employees left the factory and went home. Foxconn retaliated by providing hefty incentives, but the facility was later put on lockdown for a week, working at a much reduced capacity when the illnesses spread. Although increasing the Indian workforce to 70,000 workers would reduce the size of the main plant in iPhone City by about a third, the extended timeline means it won’t help the current crisis. By developing this expertise, Apple should become substantially more resistant to problems in China in the future. Recently, the growth of iPhone assembly in India has quickened. The plant’s initial output was just the first iPhone SE, but it has gradually undergone upgrades to enable the manufacturing of more up-to-date and complex models. This year, Foxconn India started manufacturing iPhone 14 models within weeks of the commencement of production in China, and assembly of next year’s iPhone 15 is likely to begin concurrently in both countries. China is expected to continue to be the primary location for the manufacture of the iPhone.
