According to the Economic Times, Apple intends to expand its Indian workforce to 500,000 within three years, relocating half of its supply chain from China to India.
With a focus on enhancing local value addition, Apple aims to raise domestic value addition from 11-12 percent to 15-18 percent. This strategic move aligns with India's increasing significance as a market and a potential hub for research and development.
Currently, India's local value addition stands at 14 percent, significantly lower than China's 41 percent.
In the past two years, Apple has significantly augmented its presence in India, concentrating on both manufacturing and retail sectors.
While older iPhone models were initially assembled in the country, Apple now also manufactures iPhone 15 models there.
Recent improvements in streamlining assembly operations have yielded positive results, with reports indicating that Apple assembled iPhones worth $14 billion in India during fiscal year 2024.
The Cupertino-based company collaborates with two major manufacturing partners, Foxconn and Pegatron, responsible for 67 percent and 17 percent of assembled iPhones, respectively.
Additionally, the Tat Group, overseeing Wistron’s plant in Karnataka, contributes the remaining 6 percent. This surge in production signifies that approximately 1 in 7 iPhones assembled worldwide is now manufactured in India.