iPhone manufacturing begins in China as India’s factories expand

iPhone manufacturing is about to begin, with tens of thousands of newly recruited employees arriving for work at Foxconn’s factories in China. Meanwhile, the company is allegedly getting involved in yet another huge industrial investment in India.

iPhone begins rolling off production lines

In China, 50,000 workers were bused in earlier this week to start work at the company’s factory in Zhengzhou, following mass recruitment last month. This is the most important factory in Foxconn’s iPhone production chain, churning out more units than anywhere else.

While Foxconn is expanding operations in Zhengzhou, Apple’s China+1 strategy for operational resilience means it is also investing in production centres outside China. And these are big investments, too.

Happening in Hyderabad

Foxconn is speaking with local authorities in India with a view to investing in a new city development on the outskirts of Hyderabad, India. Enthusiasm in making an investment comes from Foxconn’s leader, Young Liu, and a Foxconn team is visiting the area to discuss more. Liu has been holding meetings with senior leaders across India to discuss how to unleash India’s tech industry.

Apple’s expanding manufacturing

The iPhone manufacturer continues to build out its manufacturing base in India. Right now, it has invested somewhere in the region of $10b in the nation, and it is thought that it already employs 40,000 people in India.

It is also expanding its iPhone production capacity and making investments in processor manufacturing and AirPod production.

But with so many people Foxconn needs places to put them. In Tamil Nadu, local government will soon announce a housing initiative in Chennai to house 18,720 women employed by Foxconn. This facility will be constructed and in future managed .by the state government to support Foxconn there. The idea behind the facility is that it will give women safe and secure accommodation and hopefully encourage more women to join the workforce. Accommodation will extend t 13 ten storey tower blocks with a kitchen capable of seating 4,000 people at once.

This promises to be one of many facilities with a goal of 78,000 accommodations noted in a local report. This is directly out of Apple’s existing playbook, of course – workers are already housed in dormitories at Apple manufacturers in China and elsewhere. Today 14% of all the iPhonessold worldwide are being made there, India’s government claims.

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