Tata's Second iPhone Assembly Plant Likely To Start Operations In November

Apple's fourth iPhone assembly factory in India, being developed by Tata Electronics, is expected to commence production in November this year, according to a report by Business Standard.

Located on a sprawling 250-acre site in Hosur, Tamil Nadu, this will be Tata Electronics' second facility dedicated to manufacturing Apple's flagship smartphone.

Sources report that "preparations are in full swing," with enclosures produced at the components factory established in 2021 already being utilised in some iPhone models assembled in India and exported to China.

The facility is expected to employ 50,000 blue-collar workers, mostly women, making it the second largest workforce after Foxconn's Apple iPhone facility in Tamil Nadu, the report added.

Both Apple and Tata Electronics declined to comment on the matter, the report noted.

"Equipment and production lines are being stress-tested to meet the high demand expected at this new facility," sources told the publication.

According to a Bloomberg report earlier this year, the Hosur facility aligns with Apple's strategy to expand its manufacturing footprint in India.

Tata took over Wistron’s iPhone manufacturing unit in Karnataka's Narsapura industrial area last year and currently manages the facility.

Tata’s acquisition includes all eight iPhone assembly lines at the plant and its 10,000 workers, including a few thousand engineers, according to the Bloomberg report.

The shift in Apple manufacturing comes as the tech giant aims to produce over 50 million iPhones annually in India within the next two to three years, with plans to scale up production.

Taiwan-based Foxconn, also known as Hon Hai Precision Industry, set up its first factory in Tamil Nadu in 2017 but has since been aggressively expanding its operations in India. In 2023, it began assembling the iPhone 15 in the state.