Tata Group Inches Closer To Becoming India's First iPhone Maker

This story was first published on the Benzinga India portal.

Tata Group is reportedly on track to buy an Apple Inc AAPL iPhone supplier factory in India from Wistron Corporation, according to Bloomberg.

If the deal goes through by August, this would be the first time a firm based in India produces iPhones.

What Happened? The Karnataka-based factory, valued at over $600 million, employs more than 10,000 people and presently assembles the iPhone 14.

Wistron previously committed to deliver iPhones worth $1.8 billion by March 2024 and triple its workforce by next year. Tata Group plans to uphold these commitments post-acquisition, marking the end of Wistron’s iPhone manufacturing operations in India.

See Also: Tata May Be Looking To Ramp Up Semiconductor Play After iPhone Deal

India’s government has been promoting local manufacturing while Apple and its major suppliers, such as Foxconn Group and Pegatron Corporation, are seeking to move their iPhone production out of China. An Indian company producing iPhones could attract more global firms to manufacture in India, reducing their dependence on China.

According to TrendForce, Tata Group might manufacture the upcoming iPhone 15 and iPhone 15 Plus models. They will likely receive smaller orders for these models. This could also mean that India might be included in the initial shipment wave for the new iPhone series, expected to launch in September.

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Photo: iPhone 14, Courtesy Apple