Two new iPhone factories begin production in India
iPhone 16 range goes on sale in UK
It’s all systems go on iPhone manufacturing in India as production begins at a new plant owned by the Tata Group, even as final verification of the next iPhone model looms.
The new factory is situated in Hosur in South India’s Tamil Nadu.
Opening the factory gates
The facility is now making iPhone 16s on one of its assembly lines, but it isn’t the only new factory set to start production.
Foxconn is about ready to begin production on one assembly line at its still under construction $2.6b plant in Bengaluru. Production is set to begin there within days, Reuters said, churning out around 300-500 iPhone 16 models every hour.
Together, Tata and Foxconn now operate five iPhone factories in India.
Apple in March shipped $2 billion of India-made iPhones to the US and is thought to intend to make almost every iPhone sold in the US in India by the end of the year, though some doubt the new iPhone 17 Air model will be made there.
Component makers get interested
Of course, making iPhones is only part of the story. At present, the vast majority of the components used in iPhone manufacture are made outside of India.
That’s something that also seems set to change, with an incentive scheme operated by India’s government stimulating component manufacturing to begin in India. Companies like Dixon, Tata, Zetwerk, and Foxconn are all now planning to invest in component production.
“Foxconn has set up a display module assembly unit in Tamil Nadu which has begun trial runs,” Economic Times reports, citing sources.
“They want to replicate the success they got with smartphone assembly across other categories as well.”
The report suggests Tata is also looking at display module assembly.
The move to make display modules in India is particularly interesting given recent news claiming Apple has cancelled plans to put a super scratch resistant and anti-reflective display on iPhone 17. Does this mean the company has chosen to wait until production in India catches up?
Speculation aside, the velocity of manufacturing and supply chain rumors emerging from India at the moment testify to the high importance Apple attaches to its work there.
While Mac and iPad production hasn’t begun in India, the move to make more components there may open the gates to such manufacrturing in future.
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