In a new blog, TrendForce said that Tata has received orders to produce the new iPhone 15 and 15 Plus, which will be launched in the second half of this year. According to the research firm, as is Apple's practice, the new suppliers will be assigned to produce lower-end models in smaller quantities.
TrendForce predicts that Tata's iPhone assembly orders could reach 5% of total orders in 2023. Foxconn, Pegatron and Luxshare will share the remaining 95%.
Winning the iPhone supply order would put Tata at the center of Apple's shift of its manufacturing supply chain out of China. TrendForce said that due to pandemic and geopolitical factors, Apple is accelerating the pace of diversifying its supply sources, with India being a typical example.
The risk of losing China’s central role in Apple’s supply chain is growing. Late last year, Foxconn suffered major disruptions at its Zhengzhou manufacturing complex, home to the world’s largest iPhone factory.
Tata completed its purchase of Wistron’s iPhone manufacturing plant in late April, according to DigiTimes. The 2.2 million-square-foot facility is just over 30 miles from Bangalore. The deal includes eight iPhone assembly lines and 10,000 workers, including thousands of engineers. Wistron will continue to serve as the iPhone service partner in India.
It also marks Wistron’s exit from the iPhone assembly business. The Taiwanese company’s operations there were disrupted by riots over allegations of unpaid wages and labor exploitation, prompting Apple to intervene and investigate whether Wistron violated supplier regulations.
(According to SCMP)
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