Latest news with #FoxconnTechnologyGroup
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Business Standard
16 hours ago
- Business
- Business Standard
Foxconn Technology's 'Plan B' to rescue iPhone production in India
Foxconn operates 223 factories and offices across 24 countries, including 12 in India Aashish Aryan Shine Jacob New Delhi/Chennai Listen to This Article A day after news emerged that Foxconn Technology Group was 'forced' by Beijing to send back its Chinese engineers and technicians from its Tamil Nadu plant, sources indicate that the global electronics giant has already drawn up an alternative plan to rescue its India iPhone 17 production by bringing in experts from mainly Taiwan and the US. The move to call back employees is seen as a strategy to disrupt the efforts by Western tech firms to shift manufacturing away from China. It is also seen as a continuation of the diplomatic tussle between India and China. Chinese authorities were
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Business Standard
16 hours ago
- Business
- Business Standard
Trade conundrum with China: Cautious steps need of the hour, say experts
Over the last few years, India's exports to China have been contracting but imports have been on the rise New Delhi Listen to This Article China's blockade of rare earth minerals, fertilisers and calling back of specialised technicians from India has put policymakers in New Delhi in a tough spot. Experts believe that the way out has to be a balanced approach as India cannot afford a retaliatory move, considering its reliance on the neighbouring country for inputs. They also said that China's recent actions may be aimed at sending a sharp warning to India as tensions deepen over trade and geopolitical alignments. Case in point being, recently Foxconn Technology Group has been sending hundreds of its Chinese engineers and technicians back home from its
Indian Express
a day ago
- Business
- Indian Express
Like Make in India, China had ‘Made in China 2025' plan: 10 years later, lessons it holds for India
A report from Bloomberg, that Foxconn Technology Group has asked 'hundreds of Chinese engineers and technicians to return home from its iPhone factories in India, dealing a blow to Apple Inc.'s manufacturing push in the country', has recently received a lot of attention. Apple has identified India as a key market for iPhone production and a gradual base for its suppliers in a move away from China. The company currently produces nearly 15% of all iPhones in India, with plans to increase that to a quarter in the coming years. The company's assembly operation in India has been a key success story of the government's 'Make in India' push. The 'Make in India' initiative was launched in September 2014, aimed at making India a hub for manufacturing, design, and innovation.. A year later, China launched its own 'Made in China 2025' plan. Unlike Make in India, which the Indian government regularly talks about, the slogan 'Made in China 2025' pretty much disappeared from public discourse in a few years. However, the World Economic Forum (which holds the annual Davos conference), has recently come out with a stock-take of China's policy, and it has important takeaways from India. What is 'Made in China 2025', how successful has it been, and why do the Chinese rarely talk about it? We explain. 'Made in China 2025', released in 2015, was the blueprint for China's manufacturing sector for the next 10 years. While China was already the world's factory by then, this policy aimed to expand to higher-value manufacturing, in terms of both products, technology, and innovation. It identified 10 core focus areas, including electric cars, artificial intelligence (AI), and next-generation information technology (IT), agricultural technology; aerospace engineering; new synthetic materials; advanced electrical equipment; emerging bio-medicine; high-end rail infrastructure; and high-tech maritime engineering, as listed in 2015 by think tank Council on Foreign Relations (CFR). The WEF report from last week said, 'First announced in 2015, Made in China 2025 (MIC2025) set the tone and tempo of China's industrial ambitions. Today, this strategy is entering a new phase — an AI-augmented, green-energy-powered, self-reliance-oriented transformation of the world's most formidable industrial base.' Why do Chinese leaders not talk about it much? An article in The Economist from January rather eloquently says, 'Like Lord Voldemort from Harry Potter, 'Made in China 2025' is an initiative which induces so much fear and loathing abroad that Chinese officials dare not speak its name.' This is because many policies in the document are widely seen as giving unfair advantage to Chinese companies and putting too many hurdles for firms from other nations. The Chinese government heavily supports its industries, with capital expenditure, easily available loans, tax relief, etc. This enables them to manufacture goods cheaply, which they then export across the world, often at the cost of the industries in the importing country. India's markets being flooded with cheap Chinese goods are a case in point. On the other hand, China puts stringent conditions for foreign firms to do business there. Often, companies are allowed entry into China only if they part with technical expertise and know-how. When 'Made in China 2025' was released, many countries, especially in the West, cried foul over its proposed measures. Fearing adverse action, like sanctions or export curbs, China stopped talking up the policy. Very. According to the WEF report, 'China now dominates key green technologies: over 75% of global lithium-ion battery manufacturing, nearly 80% of solar module production, and the lion's share of the world's electric vehicle output. High-speed rail has become a showcase of engineering prowess. In robotics and sensor technologies, rapid progress has narrowed the gap with global leaders.' Other major benefits have been the focus on research and development, the upskilling of its workforce, and the creation of integrated supply chains. In fact, the only major areas where China has fallen short of its goals are making semiconductors and manufacturing passenger aircraft. The other downside has been that excessive focus on manufacturing meant China neglected the demand side of the economy, and did not develop its services sector to its full potential. The 'Made in China 2025' story, thus, holds many lessons for India, which has a well-developed services sector but has a long road to cover in manufacturing.
NDTV
a day ago
- Business
- NDTV
Apple's India Manufacturing Push Hit As Foxconn Removes Chinese Staff
Foxconn Technology Group has asked hundreds of Chinese engineers and technicians to return home from its iPhone factories in India, a move that is likely to hamper Apple Inc's plans to ramp up production in the country. According to a Bloomberg report, a majority of Foxconn's Chinese staff deployed across iPhone plants in southern India were told to return two months ago. More than 300 workers have since left the plants, with support staff from Taiwan now overseeing the operations, people familiar with the details said. The bulk of India-made iPhones are assembled at Foxconn's factory in southern India. Tata Group's electronics manufacturing arm, which bought Wistron Corp. and controls Pegatron Corp.'s operations, is also a key supplier. There was no official statement from neither Foxconn nor Apple on the matter but earlier this year, Chinese officials verbally encouraged regulatory agencies and local governments to curb technology transfers and equipment exports to India and Southeast Asia, in a possible bid to prevent companies from shifting manufacturing elsewhere. Apple Chief Executive Officer Tim Cook earlier lauded the skill and expertise of Chinese assembly workers, highlighting it as the key reason for setting up the majority of Apple's production in the country. The removal of Chinese staff from India is expected to slow down the training of local workforce as well as the transfer of manufacturing technology from China, likely raising production costs, the people cited above said. "The extraction won't impact the quality of production in India, but it's likely to affect efficiency on the assembly line," one of them said, according to the report. The developments also came at a time when Apple was planning to shift the entire assembly of iPhones sold in the US to India by early as next year. Apple has no smartphone production in the US - most of its iPhones are made in China while facilities in India produce around 40 million units per year (about 15% of Apple's annual output).
New Indian Express
2 days ago
- Business
- New Indian Express
Foxconn recalls Chinese engineers from India amid tech transfer concerns
Foxconn Technology Group, the Taiwanese contract manufacturer of iPhones, has reportedly recalled hundreds of Chinese engineers and technicians from its factories in India. According to a report, China has called back nearly 300 of its nationals from India over the past two months, leaving primarily support personnel from Taiwan still stationed in the country. While the report does not specify the exact reasons behind the move, it is believed to be linked to China's broader efforts to restrict technology transfers and curb exports of advanced manufacturing equipment to India. The decision could potentially disrupt iPhone assembly lines at Foxconn's key manufacturing hubs in Tamil Nadu and Karnataka, ahead of launch of iPhone 17 in months. Foxconn, one of Apple's largest contract manufacturers, announced in May 2025 that it would invest $1.5 billion into its Indian operations, with a particular focus on expanding the production of display modules for iPhones. Officially known as Hon Hai Technology Group, Foxconn began producing iPhones in India in 2019 and has significantly ramped up its capacity since then — especially following production delays in China during the COVID-19 pandemic in 2022. Apple has been working closely with Foxconn to expand Indian facilities and increase local production, including newer iPhone models.
