Foxconn resumes production at Chennai post cyclone disruptions

CHENNAI:A day after Foxconn and Pegatron reportedly halted the production of Apple iPhones at their factories in southern India due to heavy rains, Foxconn is said to have resumed operations.

The Taiwanese original equipment maker resumed operations at its facility near Chennai as the area was hit by a severe cyclone. The factory is said to employ about 35,000 people at its Tamil Nadu iPhone factory.

The iPhone manufacturer has rapidly increased its presence in India by investing in manufacturing facilities. This move is part of Apple’s strategy to shift a portion of its production away from China, driven by geopolitical issues between the US and China.

The report also highlighted that this marks the second instance in recent months where Pegatron had to close its factory. In September, the company temporarily suspended the assembly of iPhones following a fire incident. Several other factories in the region, including Hyundai, have ceased operations due to the impact of Cyclone Michaung in Chennai and its neighboring districts. The cyclone has caused disruptions in flights and trains, leading to the temporary suspension of operations in several factories in and around Chennai, as reported by the publication.

Cyclonic storm ‘Michaung’ inundated the city after heavy rainfall on December 4 and 5 in north-coastal Tamil Nadu and Puducherry. The Chennai airfield was also closed.

“Airfield closed for arrival and departure operations till 0900 hrs IST tomorrow due to adverse weather conditions,” said the Chennai airport authority in a post on ‘X’.

Apple informs component suppliers to source iPhone 16 batteries from India: Report

In an effort to diversify its global supply chain and move manufacturing out of China, Apple has informed its component suppliers of its preference to source batteries for the upcoming iPhone 16 from Indian factories, media report said on Wednesday.

According to the Financial Times, battery manufacturers, such as Desay of China, have been encouraged to establish new factories in India, while Simplo Technology, a Taiwanese battery supplier for Apple, has been asked to increase manufacturing in India for future orders.

Earlier this week, Union Minister of State for Electronics and Information Technology Rajeev Chandrasekhar said Japanese electronic parts maker TDK Corp will manufacture lithium-ion (li-ion) battery cells for Apple iPhones in India.

“Another big win for PM @narendramodi ji’s visionary PLI scheme in shifting the mobile manufacturing ecosystem to India. TDK, a leading supplier of cells to Apple, is setting up a 180-acre facility in Manesar, Haryana to build cells for batteries which will be used in the #MadeInIndia iPhones,” he wrote on X. Companies like Desay and Simplo package the electric cells produced by TDK and their counterparts into modules and send them to assemblers such as Taiwanese contract manufacturer Foxconn, the report mentioned.