The Tata Group is preparing to inaugurate a major iPhone assembly plant in Hosur, Tamil Nadu, by the festive quarter of 2024. This new facility, spread across 250 acres, is set to employ over 50,000 workers, the majority of whom will be women, according to media reports.
Tata Electronics is investing approximately ₹6,000 crore in this venture, which will manufacture iPhones using components sourced from a unit the conglomerate established a few years ago. The development follows Tata’s acquisition of Taiwanese electronics manufacturer Wistron’s India operations for $125 million in October last year, marking Tata’s growing footprint in the Apple supply chain.
With the addition of Tata, India’s iPhone contract manufacturers now include Foxconn, Tata, and Pegatron. The Tata Group had earlier taken over an iPhone manufacturing plant in Karnataka, previously owned by Wistron, and has since been expanding its production capabilities.
This move aligns with Apple’s strategy to shift a significant portion of its manufacturing operations to India. The tech giant aims to produce over 50 million iPhones annually in the country, signaling a major pivot away from China.
Simultaneously, Apple has commenced training thousands of workers at its Sriperumbudur facility, operated by Foxconn, in anticipation of launching the iPhone 16 Pro and 16 Pro Max models. These models are expected to be available in India immediately after their global debut this fall, continuing the trend set by the iPhone 15’s synchronized global and domestic release last year.
Foxconn, a key Apple supplier, has invested $1.4 billion in India and plans expansion. The company’s Indian operations have already grown to a value of $10 billion as of the last fiscal year. Apple’s own operations in India reached a staggering $23.5 billion in FY24, underscoring the country’s increasing importance in the global tech supply chain.
