Apple supplier Foxconn to start construction of its Karnataka plant in May

Foxconn is expected to start construction of its mobile manufacturing plant in Karnataka in May this year, The Economic Times (ET) reported on Wednesday. The Rs 8,000-crore greenfield plant will be set up near Bengaluru International Airport and has already received a thumbs-up from the State High-Level Clearance Committee (SHLC).

Spread over 300 acres, it is touted to be Foxconn's largest manufacturing unit in India. It is expected to create 50,000 jobs in the next five years.

Some things like roads to support the plants etc, however, are still to be worked on by the state government.

The Taiwan-based manufacturer will set up an electronics manufacturing and assembly unit which is expected to produce iPhones for Apple. The construction of the factory will start just a month after India gets its first Apple-owned retail store in Mumbai. Apple CEO Tim Cook is scheduled to fly to India to inaugurate the store.

Foxconn chairman Young Liu signed an agreement with the state government last month. In a letter to the state's chief minister Basavraj Bommai, Liu wrote, "It was great to note the infrastructure readiness timelines, the Government of Karnataka's support for skilling and talent acquisition, and the availability of social infrastructure around the region where the plot is earmarked for the project."

The establishment of Foxconn's plant is also expected to help Karnataka attract investments from other global tech companies.

The company already manufactures mobile phones in Tamil Nadu, Andhra Pradesh and Telangana.