An Apple supplier has begun making components for AirPods in India, according to Bloomberg.
The article says the Indian unit of Florida-based electronics manufacturer Jabil has begun shipping plastic AirPods enclosures to China and Vietnam. This makes the earbuds the second Apple product after iPhones to be made in India.
Apple wants India to account for up to 25% of its production, increasing from about 5%-7% currently, the country’s trade minister says, according to a January 23 report from Reuters (a subscription is required to read the entire article).
Shri Piyush Goyal, India’s minister of commerce and industry, also did not specify what devices he expects Apple to produce in the country. However, his comments fit with a previous report that Apple is likely to triple its production of iPhones assembled in India over the next two year, according to Mint.
The article quotes an unnamed “senior industry executive as saying: ”[Apple is] looking to scale up the volumes that they make from India. It can rise by more than three times what they aim to make this year.” Mint also cites a second executive who said Apple has instructed Foxconn, Pegatron, and Wistron, three of its biggest suppliers, to increase their capacity and manpower in the country.
