iPhone Manufacturing Unit to Be Set Up Near Hosur, Will Employ 60,000 Workers, IT Minister Says

The biggest unit to manufacture Apple iPhone in India is coming up near Hosur in Bengaluru, which will employ around 60,000 people, Telecom and IT Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw said on Tuesday. While speaking at the Janjatiya Gaurav Divas ceremony, Vaishnaw said that six thousand tribal women residing near Ranchi and Hazaribagh have been trained for making iPhones.

"Apple's iPhone is now getting made in India and it's the biggest plant in India is being set up at Hosur near Bengaluru. 60,000 people work in a single factory. The first 6,000 employees of these 60,000 employees are our tribal sisters from places nearby Ranchi and Hazaribagh. Tribal sisters have been trained to make Apple iPhone," the minister said.

The Cupertino company has outsourced the manufacturing of iPhone enclosures to Tata Electronics, which has a plant at Hosur. The company's iPhone models are manufactured by electronics giants Foxconn, Wistron and Pegatron in India.

Last week, Reuters reported that Apple supplier Foxconn plans to quadruple the workforce at its iPhone factory in India over two years, citing two government officials with knowledge of the matter. Foxconn's decision points to a production adjustment as it faces disruptions in China.

Foxconn has grabbed headlines in recent weeks, with tight virus restrictions at its Zhengzhou plant, the world's largest iPhone factory, disturbing production and fuelling concerns over the impact of China's virus policy on global supply chains.

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.

Foxconn, formally called Hon Hai Precision Industry, opened the India plant in 2019 and has been ramping up production. It began producing iPhone 14 this year.