Tech giant Apple has started the production of the iPhone 13 in India at the Foxconn plant near Chennai. The production is currently on a trial basis, reports say. According to a report by Economic Times, Apple targets to manufacturer all its flagship models in India. The article, citing two industry executives as sources, also said that the company is not only manufacturing phones in India for sale within the country but also for exports. Apple may start the actual production by February 2022. The production of the iPhone 13 in India will also help the company to increase its supplies in the global market, as around 20% to 30% of what is produced in India will get exported. Apple took a hit when it faced the scarcity of semiconductor chips. The company halted the productions of iPhones and iPads for the first time over a decade. In October 2021, Apple published a projection for its iPhone 13 series production, claiming that it expects to produce 90 million iPhone units by December 2021. The forecast later reduced this number by as many as 10 million units. Three months – from October to December – is usually highly productive for Apple in terms of production. This year the scenario contradicted the past trend due to the semiconductor shortage. Currently, the company has solved the supply chain constraints, which enabled it to expand iPhone 13 production to India. Apple and Foxconn have not responded to the email communications from the media, and hence, the news remains speculation.
Foxconn Factory Shuts Down Over Protests
Meanwhile, a report by Mint claimed that Foxconn’s plant in Chennai would remain shut this week due to protests against food poisoning in a unit. Besides Apple phones, Foxconn also manufactures smartphones for Xiaomi India. The workers of the plant staged protests on Chennai – Bengaluru highway after 150+ employees got admitted to the hospital for food poisoning at the Foxconn factory. The police detained 70 women and 22 men for blocking the highway. A statement from the Thiruvalluvar district administration called the outbreak ‘acute diarrhoeal disease’. Following the incident, 256 workers were treated in the hospital as outpatients, among which 159 got admitted.
