 "Apple Inc, Apple")
Two 2023 Apple iPhone series smartphones would be manufactured by the Tata Group in India, following the conglomerate’s acquisition of Taiwanese firm Wistron Corp’s factory, a TrendForce report said. The steel-to-software giant has received orders for the new iPhone 15 and iPhone 15 Plus models from Apple. These smartphone models are slated to launch later this year.
According to TrendForce, Tata Group is expected to become the fourth iPhone assembler for Apple. Currently, Foxconn, Luxshare, and Pegatron assemble iPhones for Apple in India.
“Following Apple’s pattern, new suppliers receive smaller orders for lower-end models,” the Taipei-based research firm said. TrendForce predicted that Tata’s share of assembly orders for various iPhones would amount to five per cent of the total orders in 2023. The order indicates that India could be part of the first wave of shipments for the new iPhone series that is expected to be launched in September this year.
The ongoing shift of Apple’s manufacturing supply chain away from China has helped the Tata Group bag the iPhone assembly orders. Because of geopolitical reasons and the coronavirus pandemic, Apple has been accelerating the diversification of its supply sources, with India being the most well-known case for such transfer, TrendForce said in its report.
Tata Group took over Wistron’s iPhone manufacturing plant in India, situated at the Narsapura industrial area of Karnataka, at the end of July. Tata’s buyout marked Wistron’s exit from the iPhone assembly business.
The shipment volumes of iPhones manufactured in India rose by 65 per cent year-on-year (YoY) in 2022. In addition, the value of iPhones increased by 162 per cent, a report published by market research firm Counterpoint said.
The Cupertino-based company is likely to launch the Apple iPhone 15 series in September. The 2023 series could consist of four models: iPhone 15, iPhone 15 Plus, iPhone 15 Pro, and iPhone 15 Pro Max.
