Apple’s main iPhone assembly partner in India is ready to significantly boost its production capacity, as it has opened a third plant in the country.
Wistron received approval to build a new smartphone factory in March 2019 and has already completed a trial production run at the plant. Wistron chairman Simon Lin says local workers will fill the top-to-mid-tier management roles at the plant.
The plant is expected to initially produce the iPhone 8. That would put the plant in a good position for gaining at least a portion of the production of Apple’s much-rumored iPhone SE 2, which some believe will begin production in February.
Wistron’s other two plants in Bengaluru, India produce iPhone SE and iPhone 6s for sale in the Indian market. Meanwhile, Apple’s main assembly partner Foxconn is already assembling the iPhone XR in their Indian plant.
Apple began producing iPhones in India ever since Prime Minister Narendra Modi began promoting his “Made in India” initiative, which requires that foreign companies manufacture or produce at least 30 percent of products sold inside India.
India is seen as an excellent growth market for the iPhone, as it is the world’s second-largest smartphone market, but just one in four Indians actually own a smartphone.
(Via MacRumors)