Apple’s largest supply partner, Foxconn, has been forced to shut down its operations in Shenzhen, China, following a city-wide COVID-19 lockdown that has seen nonessential businesses close, public transportation suspended, and residents told not to leaves their homes unless it is for essential activities.
Nikkei Asia reports:
Shenzhen is home to major tech companies such as Huawei, Oppo and TCL, and is also one of the biggest manufacturing hubs for Taiwan’s Foxconn, supplying clients from Apple to Google to Amazon. The semi-lockdown comes as the global supply chain is still struggling with an ongoing chip shortage, as well as disruptions from the war in Ukraine.
Foxconn, the world’s biggest contract electronics manufacturer, said in a statement on Monday that it would suspend production at its Longhua and Guanlan factories in Shenzhen until further notice from the local government. It has activated plans to use facilities in other cities to support production.
Shenzhen is Foxconn’s second-largest manufacturing hub in China, after Zhengzhou in Henan Province, which is the world’s biggest iPhone production center. While it is not totally clear what devices Foxconn produces for Apple at its two Shenzhen plants, Foxconn is the largest maker of the iPhone.