Apple manufacturing partner Foxconn has asked hundreds of Chinese engineers and technicians to return from its iPhone factories in India, “dealing a blow to Apple Inc.’s manufacturing push in the South Asian country,” reports Bloomberg (a subscription is required to read the article).
It’s uncertain why this is being done. However, Bloomberg suggests that it’s to accommodate wishes of Chinese authorities to impose tighter controls on the transfer of technology, labor, and equipment to India and Southeast Asia.
In June 20 it was announced that Foxconn was building a new facility in India to manufacture iPhone enclosures. In March it was reported that Foxconn plans to produce 25-30 million iPhones in India this year, according to the Times of India. This would double last year’s output.
“Last year, the company assembled about 12 million iPhones in India,” the article says. “But with their Bengaluru facility also coming up quickly, they have set their ambitions a lot higher, in line with Apple’s push to deepen their presence in India.”
