iPhone 14 Pro series production significantly hurt. New research indicates that China now produces 95% of all iPhones. Even more problematic for Apple is that the Foxconn facility in Zhengzhou, China, produces 80% of all iPhones.
Due in large part to China’s “zero COVID” policy, the plant is currently primarily shuttered. In a historic step, Apple has formally warned that meeting production objectives would be challenging in the next several months while the facility runs at a lower capacity, primarily affecting the iPhone 14 Pro and iPhone 14 Pro Max.
Cupertino often wants to provide something other than this. Foxconn, an Apple supplier, reportedly has plans to treble the number of employees in its Indian factory, according to statements made by members of the Indian government to Reuters. The existing workforce of 17,000 will increase to 70,000 due to this.
Here is what the sources told Reuters:
Foxconn, an Apple supplier, is reportedly planning to quadruple the workforce at its iPhone factory in India over two years, according to two government officials familiar with the matter. […]
iPhone 14 Pro series production significantly hurt.
Because this significant expansion would take so long (two years, according to the research), it will not be implemented in time to alleviate the present situation. However, recent events may hasten Apple’s efforts to lessen its reliance on China and forestall a repeat of this predicament.
JP Morgan’s research shows that 25% of iPhone manufacturing might shift to India by 2025. Although the iPhone 14 in China didn’t begin until a few weeks ago, Cupertino has already begun making the device in India.
Next year, the manufacture of the iPhone 15 will supposedly begin in sync with that in China. That means there’s already some variety in the vanilla series. The pie chart above shows that three separate businesses are involved in production.
Foxconn, however, produces only Pro models, and they do it entirely in Zhengzhou (where around 200,000 people are employed to manufacture iPhones, earning the city the moniker “iPhone City”).
