As Apple wants to expand its Indian manufacturing business, the Tata Group is reportedly in talks with Taiwan-based Wistron Corp. to produce iPhone in India. According to a Bloomberg story, Wistron, an Apple supplier, will launch a joint venture with the Tata Group to manufacture electronics there.
Bloomberg noted, citing people with knowledge of the situation, “The project would be the Indian salt-to-software group’s latest push into technology production as it uses Wistron’s experience in product development, supply chain, and assembly.”
Additionally, this might make Tata the first Indian company to manufacture iPhones, which are currently put together in China and India by Taiwanese manufacturing behemoths like Wistron and Foxconn Technology Group. This coincides with Apple’s efforts to relocate its manufacturing operations from China, which is currently experiencing Covid lockdowns and political difficulties with the US. Apple, based in Cupertino, California, has placed a significant wager on India since it started assembling iPhones there in 2017 with Wistron and later with Foxconn, in keeping with the Indian government’s goal for domestic manufacturing. It wasn’t immediately clear from the story whether Apple was informed of the discussions.
The idea may see the Tata group purchasing shares in Wistron’s India operations, the two businesses constructing a new assembly plant, or both actions being carried out, according to the article. Although the deal’s specifics are still being worked out, Bloomberg said that Tatas may eventually own a portion of Wistron’s manufacturing operations in addition to cellphones. Apple, Tata Group and Wistron did not immediately respond to requests for comment.
