For the first time, Apple is going to manufacture AirPods and Beats headphones in India. Nikkie Asia reports that the tech giant has instructed its AirPods assembling partners, Foxconn and Luxshare Precision to shift production to India as early as 2023.
In 2017, Apple began manufacturing older products in India, mostly for the local market. And over the years, the tech giant has not only increased the volume of production in the country but has also begun manufacturing the latest devices. Production of the new iPhone 14 (base models) began in India only a few months after the series launched out of China in September.
These moves are part of Apple’s efforts to diversify its supply chain out of China due to its strict COVID policies and tensions with the United States.
Foxconn to being AirPods production in Andhra Pradesh and Tamil Nadu, India
Currently, AirPods and Beats headphones production is centered in Vietnam and China. People familiar with the matter told the publisher that the tech has talked to its suppliers to increase the production of ” key acoustics devices” in India by early next year.
Foxconn is prepared to begin production right away at its production campuses in the states of Andhra Pradesh and Tamil Nadu, however, Luxshare will take a little longer to begin production at its facility in Tamil Nadu.
iPhone assembler Foxconn is preparing to make Beats headphones in the country, and hopes to eventually produce AirPods there as well.
Luxshare Precision Industry and its affiliates, which already produce AirPods in Vietnam and China, also plan to help Apple make the popular wireless earphones in India, sources said. However, Luxshare is focusing more on its Vietnamese AirPods operations for now and could be slower than its competitors in starting meaningful production of Apple products in India.
The shift of AirPods and Beats is considered a “win” for the South Asian nation to rise in the global supply chain. Joey Yen, a tech analyst with IDC said;
The Indian government’s long-standing efforts to woo investment in the electronics manufacturing sector are finally bearing fruit. China’s continuing Covid-zero policies are also pushing tech companies to seek alternatives, and India in the long run could have an opportunity to grow.
However, it will still take a very long time for India to be more transparent on all its policies and really have a more complete supply chain.”
