In what could be seen as a big moral boost for the proponents of the “Make in India” campaign, Apple could begin its iPhone production facilities in India starting 2017.
According to reports, the tech giant is currently collaborating with India-based partners to set up new production facilities in the country at the earliest possible. It appears that Cupertino has been eying to expand its Indian market for awhile now, but the federal laws make it mandatory for overseas businesses to set up domestic manufacturing before opening new stores. Despite its willingness to grant some concession, Government of India (GoI) refused to walk the extra mile by allowing Apple to circumvent those laws. That left the iDevice maker with practically no other option but to comply.
Times of India reports that Apple’s plans for India involve Taiwanese OEM maker Wistron that has already collaborated with the company on multiple occasions. In the first phase of the ambitious expansion, Apple will be setting up a manufacturing facility in Penya, Bengaluru. While Apple is yet to make any official announcement in this regard, production is likely to begin from April 2017 with the iPhone 7.
The timing of the initiative is strategically invaluable as making iPhones locally will help Apple capitalize on the fast growing Indian smartphone market. (India is expected to become the second largest smartphone market in the world after China from as early as 2017.)
Amidst all these speculations, the company has posted several job listings in India, virtually confirming that the rumors are probably right.
“The Operations Program Manager (OPM) will lead Apple’s new products ramp in India with superior product quality and maximum customer availability. This individual will also own operational success of the products throughout their product life cycle,” one of the job ads read, 9to5mac reports.