‘Apple’ Of Chennai’s Eye: Foxconn’s Plant In The City To Start Manufacturing iPhones From Next Year

In a boost to the government’s ‘Make In India’ programme, the Foxconn unit in Sriperumbudur (Chennai) will start manufacturing various iPhone models from 2019.

Tamil Nadu Chief Minister (CM) Edappadi K.Palaniswami announced the developments during a cabinet meeting on Monday (December 25), reports The Hindu.

Over the eighteen months, Foxconn has been the third-party manufacturer of smartphones of various brands in India and the manufacture of iPhones in the Chennai plant will be a feather in the local unit’s cap as it has a niche market.

In addition to an existing factory in Sriperumbudur, located on the Chennai-Bengaluru highway, the company has also created a separate manufacturing unit. The company is also expected to recruit more people before the iPhone production begins. This will be in addition to the existing workforce of 15,000, with 90 per cent of them being women.

Foxconn management was persuaded by Tamilnadu’s Electricity Minister P Thangamani to continue the company’s operations in Chennai instead of moving it to other states. The manufacture of electronics goods in the state is now at par with automobile industries.

It was earlier reported that Commerce and Industry Minister, Suresh Prabhu, is scheduled to meet the top leadership of Apple in Davos next month (January 2019) to persuade the company to set up more manufacturing facilities in India.

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