iPhone supplier Foxconn and Vedanta, earlier this week, signed an agreement to set up a semiconductor unit in Gujarat. Both companies are set to invest a whopping $ 19.5 billion in this joint venture. Mr. Anil Agarwal, chairman of Vedanta, also revealed that the company would set up a center to manufacture iPhones along with television equipment in Maharashtra.
Vedanta and Tata to manufacture iPhones in India
Agarwal disclosed crucial information in this interview with CNBC TV18. Apart from Vedanta, Tata Group is also in discussion with Wistron, another Apple supplier, to establish a manufacturing hub to make iPhones locally.
When would the process begin?
Neither Tata nor Vedanta confirmed anything about the timeline of their respective projects as to when they would set up the unit and start manufacturing. However, if that happens within the next few months, they would probably start with the latest iPhone 14.
Media reports
Several reports suggested previously that Apple is looking for alternate manufacturing sites to lessen its dependency on China. For those who do not know, Apple has already roped in three suppliers namely Pegatron, Wistron, and Foxconn to assemble iPhones in India. iPhone 12, iPhone 13, iPhone SE, iPhone 11, and a few other models are already being manufactured in India.
Media reports suggest that Apple is working with its Indian suppliers to produce iPhone 14 currently and would be able to bring out finished products within the next two to three months. However, the timeline for producing locally seems a bit earlier than previous or earlier years.
