Apple's partners appear to be taking steps this early in an effort to mitigate the impact of import issues that may arise from the ongoing U.S. and China trade war. Wistron, a Taiwan-based original design manufacturer and one of Apple's production partners, plans to increase its manufacturing investment in India.
The company has authorized Wistron InfoComm Manufacturing, its subsidiary in that country, to expand its production plants in India with up to ₹30 billion (~$428 million) in funding, according to a filing with the Taiwan Stock Exchange. The goal of the investment is to address local development requirements in the country. Already, Wistron's paid capital for this effort is reported to be at ₹1.8 billion (~$25.7 million), so the planned investment marks a substantial increase.
Wistron will reportedly use the money for the expansion of its manufacturing plant in Narasapura in the Karnataka State. The company is expected to conclude the first phase of the project in the first half of this year.
For the uninitiated, Wistron assembled the iPhone SE and iPhone 6S. Additionally, the expansion is not only expected to focus on iPhone production but will also involve its PC, Internet of Things, medical, and cloud services businesses which are supposedly slated for transfer to India.
In addition to Wistron, Foxconn was recently reported to be planning to spend a whopping $356 million on the expansion of its Indian plant. Foxconn is one of Apple's production partners standing in the crosshairs of the growing tension between the U.S. and China.
Source: DigiTimes
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