Apple’s leading iPhone supplier Foxconn is unable to resume iPhone production in full swing after facing a local COVID-19 outbreak. Now, local authorities in China’s Henan province are asking retired soldiers and government workers to help aid iPhone production at Foxconn’s plant in Zhengzhou.
Foxconn struggling to resume full iPhone production, local authorities step in to help
A few weeks ago, a COVID-19 outbreak in the city of Zhengzhou forced Foxconn to work under closed-loop production protocols. At the time, it was expected that production restrictions would be eased soon, however, that did not happen. The plant was later placed under a week-long lockdown and Apple even announced plans to scale back production of the iPhone 14 lineup at Foxconn’s facility in the region.
The whole situation could have not come at a worse time for the iPhone assembler, keeping the ongoing holiday season in mind. Foxconn revealed that it is concerned about the revenue of consumer electronics this quarter due to the ongoing circumstances.
Now, a new report suggests that local authorities are stepping in to help. The information comes from South China Morning Post, which revealed that local authorities in Henan are trying to rally retired People’s Liberation Army (PLA) personnel to work at Foxconn’s iPhone production plant in Zhengzhou.
The veteran affairs bureau in Changge, a county with a population of 710,000 under the administration of the city of Xuchang in Henan, on Tuesday posted an open letter urging retired PLA personnel to “answer the government’s call” and “take part in the resumption of production” at Foxconn’s manufacturing complex in Zhengzhou. The letter suggested that they “show up where there’s a need”.
The report goes on to state that local authorities are also asking cadres in the cities of Kaifeng and Jiyuan to “form teams” that are willing to work at Foxconn for at least a month.
Local authorities have also encouraged cadres in the cities of Kaifeng and Jiyuan in Henan to “form teams” that would work at Foxconn’s Zhengzhou facility for at least a month, according to a report by the Shanghai Securities Journal, a state-owned daily newspaper.
A few days ago, Foxconn also announced that it plans to quadruple its workforce in India over the next two years. However, the move will not immediately ease the production burden the company is undergoing in China.
