Foxconn now making Apple AirPods in Hyderabad for exports
What's the story
Taiwanese contract manufacturer Foxconn has started producing Apple's AirPods at its Hyderabad facility for exports.
The company is also gearing up to start operations at its new, larger plant in Bengaluru.
The move comes as part of Apple's plan to bolster India as a major manufacturing hub, amid rising US-China trade tensions and high tariffs on certain categories of Chinese goods exceeding 100%.
Expansion plan
Bengaluru facility to boost iPhone production and exports
The new Bengaluru facility will soon start operations and contribute significantly to ramping up iPhone production in India.
It will have a peak capacity of 20 million units per annum, which will make it Foxconn's second-largest facility outside China.
The factory in Devanahalli, near Bengaluru, is being set up with an investment of $2.8 billion.
Collaboration
Foxconn and Tata Electronics ramp up iPhone production
Foxconn has begun trial production of the iPhone 17 series in India. Tata Electronics is also trial-producing components like casings for the new lineup.
Tata Electronics' latest iPhone factory in Hosur has started operations and is currently assembling older-generation iPhones.
It will start shipments soon and ramp up production in the coming months.
Production shift
Apple to shift production of over 60M iPhones
Apple plans to move production of more than 60 million iPhones per year, fulfilling the entire US demand, to Indian factories by the end of 2026.
The move comes after Apple exported iPhones worth $2 billion to the US in March, a monthly record for both Tata and Foxconn.
Most of the production was done by Foxconn, with Tata Electronics' share rising with its new facility.