Apple is looking to ramp up its efforts to move more iPhone production out of China, according to an unnamed “senior industry executive” cited by Indian newspaper Mint, which claims that Apple is likely to triple its production of iPhones assembled in India over the next two years.
Apple is making efforts to diversify the supply chain with less reliance on China, although it has been said that a lack of “highly skilled talent and individuals with expertise in building highly complex devices” outside of China is slowing down efforts.
According to the report, which cites three people aware of the plans, Apple is looking at a significant expansion of its local manufacturing capabilities across India, with the company looking to triple its production of iPhones assembled in India, in addition to moving some of its iPad production out of China for the first time.
The paywalled report quotes a senior industry executive who says that 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.”
Apple currently has its top three manufacturing partners making smartphones in India. These are Wistron, Foxconn, and Pegatron. The company has slowly been expanding its manufacturing efforts in India over recent years, with the country assembling low quantities of the iPhone 14, as well as some older iPhone models, including the iPhone 13 and iPhone SE.
Reports have previously suggested that Apple is aiming to produce 25 percent of all iPhones in India by 2025, with trade tensions between the U.S. and China a key driving force between the move.