Apple suppliers could soon assemble MacBooks in Thailand, according to report

Apple is reportedly in discussions with suppliers as part of its ongoing efforts to diversify its supply chain by assessing whether some assembly and production of MacBook components and modules could be moved to Thailand, according to a report from Nikkei Asia.

The report cites a senior executive at one of the Apple’s suppliers, who claims that the company was asked to move MacBook assembly to Vietnam, following in the footsteps of other Apple suppliers however, the executive says his company has offered an alternative option, suggesting some MacBook production moves to Thailand plants instead.

“As MacBook assembly will begin in Vietnam first, we could support the components from our Thailand plants, too. … It will only take two to three days of logistics and custom clearance,” the source said.

Within the report, Nikkei cite another supplier who is building new plants in Thailand for Apple, with one new facility expected to open later this year for the MacBook and other products.

Earlier this year, a paywalled report by DigiTimes claimed that Apple’s primary MacBook supplier Quanta Computer is reportedly considering moving some of its production to Vietnam, saying that the iPhone maker is looking to reduce dependence on Chinese assemblers and produce more products elsewhere in Asia, particularly India and Vietnam.